The Blackjack Tales
by owlcat92
Summary: In this story, we see all the adventures that Percy undertook with a new twist. This time it's all from his faithful steed, Blackjack. Everything that Percy ever did through the eyes from Olympus's most famous and brave - not to mention vainest - Pegasus. THE Blackjack. WARNING: Do NOT read this unless you have read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. - Owl.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is a new story. And when I say do NOT read this if you haven't read the Percy Jackson series, I really mean it. Please comment, I'd love to know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do NOT own the rights to PJO or Blackjack or people like that, but I do own Phoenix and Honey, because I made them up myself.**

* * *

Prologue:

I guess you can probably figure out who I am. I just happen to be the most handsome Pegasus stallion in all of Olympus.

_Urgh, can you stand him? Just for the record, it's Percy here, yeah,_ the_ Percy. Blackjack talked me into writing this. I really should've got Rick to. He's the scribe!_

Look, boss, this is my story, okay? So just . . . Write what I say.

_I just did._

Just . . . Screw that! Just copy down every word!

_Believe me, Blackjack, I am. Thank the gods he didn't see me writing that._

Okay, boss, now we start.

Yo, all people out there, this is the actual Blackjack that was there to witness the Titan war and deliver the current Oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

_I found her._

Tough, boss. Anyway, I just happen to be the only black, raven-black, actually, Pegaus at Camp Half-Blood, not to mention all of Olympus. I reckon I look better than the original Pegaus, too.

_Probably vainer, too._

And so, I just thought that it was only fair that everyone out there, godly, mortal or whatever weird thing you may be, could hear the tales of the brave Blackjack . . . And the guy who appears in the story from time to time.

_He means me._

So, boss, let's get going!

_Okay, even I have to admit it's a cool story, so I'll shut up for a bit, unless I really need to write something down or Annabeth makes some comment, or if any new campers come and ask for his auto-graph. Yes, the horse is a famous icon here! Okay, Blackjack, here we go!_

* * *

I was born to Phoenix and Honey. Phoenix, I have to admit, was a pretty darn good father. He was a deep scarlet-red with wings that looked better than any Phoenixes - and they think I'm vain, wait until you meet one of them - but he was still a good dad. He taught me nearly every areal move I know, except ones that I made, but he still taught me how to fly.

My mum was Honey. That was her name, not the food. She was a chestnut mare with a star on her forehead that looked like a wonky rectangle that was slightly crescent-shaped that melted down the side of her face. It sounds weird, but she was by far the prettiest Pegasus here - except for me, of course.

Honey had had a type of tumour in her eye that was impossible to fix. There were rumours about Underworld magic and stuff like that, but really, it just left her blind in an eye. She had one brilliant brown eye and one dull grey. But that never spoiled her, because she'd always cock her head to the left when someone came around so they only saw her right eye, her good eye.

With the combination of my strong, tall, envious dad, and my quiet, cunning and witty mum, I was quite a handful. But, I still made it out alive.

But this is from the start, so I need to take you back, right to the beginning . . .

* * *

**Yes! Here we are! Prologue finished! Please comment and review, I'd love to know what you think of it!**

**Owls**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again, fellow readers. I hope you liked the prologue, because here's Chapter 1. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do NOT own Blackjack, Porkpie or Guido, but I do own Boar and Hide, since I made them up. I guess technically I own the idea about the un-dead pegasi that pull Cabin 5's chariot, but I'm easy about. If someone else made it up first and I haven't read it, I'm sorry! But anyway, on with the show!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Blackjack makes Friends and Enemies

I mean it with the chapter. I made friends - not that hard - and I made enemies. Plenty of them.

As you can guess, I made friends pretty much as soon as I learned to fly, and those two were Guido and Porkpie. Even as a colt Porkpie was huge, but a sort of bulky huge, not tall, where as I was taller, but leaner - not to mention faster.

We were the guys that broke all the rules. We left before dawn, came back at midnight, over and over again. We went out beyond the camp borders all the way to San Fan, until Guido eventually bugged us all to turn around.

We even flew over the Grand Canyon once. It was kind of boring. Just a huge hole in the ground, really. It never ceases to amaze me that mortals spend all their time looking at the _wonders_ of the _ground_ when the sky is _so_ much more fun! I mean, on the _ground_ can you fly? No! You need to be in the air. That didn't make sense, did it? Anyway.

So, I'll start where we met Boar and Hide. They were nasty customers.

* * *

I was skimming over the waves. Porkpie was charging at me from the left, and Guido was diving at me from above. They were playing _Catch the Pegasus_ with me, and it was my turn to be caught. I liked it when it was my turn. I'd lead them astray for hours on end.

As Guido plummeted towards me, and Porkpie gathered speed, I shot upwards, then dove back straight at them, who had conveniently collided with each other, and shoved them into the sea.

Porkpie shot out, followed by Guido, even though they were drenched, they were pretty mad at me. Guido was terrified of getting caught in the surf, even though we knew the Hippocampi would never let us die.

I was about to swing around when I heard laughter. Not human laughter, but the type of laughter you get from a short, stocky Pegasus that had some sort of throat problem like he ate _way _too much barley.

Then there was a different laugh, a high, shrill laugh like from one of those dainty but still nasty pieces of work. Guido, Porkpie and me ground to a stop. On the hill of the camp there were two pegasi: one short, stocky and muscular one with a dull brown coat run though with stripes of silvery-grey, and the other was short, dainty and a dappled grey.

We all knew them. The brown was Hide, and the grey was Boar.

* * *

"Well, well, well," said Boar. "It seems that the raven's afraid of the ponies."

Just so you know, being called a pony by a fellow Pegasus is an insult. But Tyson's cool.

And the raven? It was an insult exclusively for me that was made by those two, since I called myself a _raven_-black colt, they made me a raven. That was an insult. Raven's are just _boring_.

I stopped and looked at the bulky Hide and the nasty Boar. "I'm not afraid of my friends, Boar. And I notice you seem to lack quite a few of those, piggy."

That was a good one. It seemed to get through Boar's thick skull. "Actually, raven, I _do_ have friends," he gestured to Hide with his tail. "Not to mention _many_ more."

"I mean friends that are capable to _think_ for themselves," I said back. Guido and Porkpie were next to me now. Porkpie looked really upset with those guys. I felt sorry for the guy, too. It wasn't his fault that him and Hide were related. It was like . . . Second cousin or something. You could see the resemblance, they were both stocky, but Porkpie was smart, and he had a good throat and not a hoarse one.

* * *

Boar lifted his stout face. "Very funny, raven. I actually have more friends, like the _whole_ of Cabin 5."

_Oh dear . . ._ Was what was going through my head. The only pegasi that like Cabin 5 were the skeleton horses. And it's a very long story of how they come to be, but it involves being a Pegasus that's liked by Cabin 5, and then if you like them back . . . You change to un-dead. I guess you can see why Hide had those streaks on his coat.

It's not gross, all the pegasi retain their mind, but they just physically change, and the change isn't gross either, you just start getting grey streaks, then your coat dulls, and then one day you wake up un-dead.

* * *

Boar and Hide looked at us three again. "You've got it under your muzzles, now, have you? Yes, we're going to be part of Cabin 5's chariot soon, we know it!"

"Ah, Boar," I said smugly. "The chariot races finished last week, Chiron decided to ban them after three deaths and twenty-something disfigurations."

Boar glared at me with his silvery eyes. "Then we'll have to bring it back," he said indignantly. Before swishing his tail. I sighed and glared back at him. Guido was glaring at him too, but Porkpie just looked sad. He looked like he was about to crumble or something.

* * *

I glared at the two harder. "Just get lost, okay? We don't need the kids from Cabin 5. They're no-goods anyway. Just scram, Boar, and take your mindless idiots with you."

Boar looked taken aback for a moment, and then bared his teeth. "No, raven. Maybe _you_ should scram," he said through his bared teeth.

"As if," I said back. I could swear Porkpie was crying. The poor big guy was a bit of a softie. I was busy looking at the two pegasi. "Can you just _get lost?_" I yelled at them.

The two smiled right then. "No," they said. "We want proof that you can _make_ us leave. A race."

_You have got to be kidding me,_ I thought. "Okay, who against who?"

"Well, clearly it has to be one of you against one of us. I volunteer to go. What about you guys?"

I looked at Guido and Porkpie. "You," they said in unison.

I swallowed, then looked at Boar. "Ready to race, Bone Butt?"

He smiled slyly. "Always."

* * *

Me and Boar were hovering at the shoreline. Hide and Porkpie were standing to Boar's side, and Guido was standing next to me. "Do you know what's going to happen if you lose?" he was asking. "They'll drive us away! Get all their dead buddies!"

"Guido, one day you'll lighten up, okay? How the heck could this guy win? I'm Blackjack, for Poseidon's sake!"

"Blackjack, if you lose, I'm never going to forgive you. _Porkpie_ never will forgive you."

"Yeah, I figured that out."

"No, it's worse for Porkpie."

"That's nice, Guido. But I have a race to win."

"You don't get it, do you? Well, if you lose, then it's likely that we won't see Porkpie ever again."

That seemed to put anvils on my wings. _Never see Porkpie again?_ "But . . . We're buds, why wouldn't we?"

"You should listen more, Jackie."

I would've asked more, but Hide yelled out, _"Three . . . !"_

I looked from Guido to Porkpie. Porkpie looked on the brink of tears. _"Two . . . !"_

I crouched down and spread my wings. _"One . . . !"_

I took a deep breath._ "GO!"_

* * *

We took off right. Well, I did. Boar took off a second before Hide said go. He was an easy length ahead of me. I was fuming. I could feel the winds coming off him and crashing into me. That made me madder.

I pumped myself forward, until I was closing in on his right flank. He looked back at me with a grin. I ground my teeth and pressed harder. Soon I was at his wings, then he started playing dirty.

As we zoomed across the ocean, he whacked me with his tail, right in the face. That wouldn't have done anything, but it caught me off-guard and I ground to a halt. He laughed and then zoomed on.

I was staring at him. Hovering above the waves. I couldn't _stand_ losing. I couldn't stand cheaters either, but most of all I couldn't stand losing a friend.

So I was _not_ going to let that happen.

I launched myself forward with one huge wing beat. I could feel the wind coming off the sea, and began to use it to my advantage - it's a little nifty trick my dad taught me - and caught up with Boar in a matter of seconds. He looked back and bared his teeth at me, and attempted to kick me away, but I was ready, using my _awesome skills_ I corkscrewed away from his kick and shot upwards, before diving down, zooming ahead of him.

The marker to turn around was an oil tanker. I slowed down, and then planted my rear legs onto its hull, before pushing off and then flying back. Straight into Boar.

* * *

We plummeted into the sea. It was choppy weather, so it snagged us and pulled us right down. I was desperately trying to get up, and next to me Boar was trying the same. He managed to use his wings and then got higher than me, but I couldn't get anywhere. He tried to as well, but he seemed as stuck as me, so he planted his hind legs on my chest and pushed off me, shooting me down and him upwards, into the air.

I couldn't breathe. Fear was gripping me. I was too weak from loss of air to beat my wings. I yelled for the Hippocampi, but they weren't there. I could feel my chest tightening, I knew that this would be the final moment.

But I was wrong - did I mention that I_ hate_ being wrong?

There was this huge current beneath me, and I shot out of the water. For a moment I saw forked lightning cross the sky, and two animals on the far shore. One was a glistening golden eagle, and the other was a huge white horse. They were fighting each other. Through the sea spray I could see another figure - a kid, probably, but I was too far to see much. I could only see that it was a boy with an arm outstretched in my direction, and I was guessing a gaping mouth.

But it only lasted for a spilt second. Then it was gone.

I shot forwards, propelled by the water that had spat me out. I was gaining on Boar, I was a length away . . . Half a length . . . We were neck and neck! Boar's coat was drenched, but I could see through his eyes that he was tired, whereas I was pumped full of energy. I pummelled the air with my wings and drew ahead. I was leaving him in the dust! (or maybe sea spray).

Guido and Porkpie cheered for me as I slammed onto the sand, before hitting the ground with such force that I smashed into it before rolling a few times. I jumped to my feet. "We did it!" I yelled, looking at beaming Guido and Porkpie. Boar landed and fell to his knees, breathing hard. "You win," he puffed. "But this was just for this spot," he said, looking up at us again. Then he fixed his eyes on Porkpie. "Especially you, Porky. Fine, for now you're safe, but when we're part of Cabin 5's chariot team . . ." he grinned. "You'll be sorry."

* * *

Maybe this should've scared me, but I had beaten him! I was jumping around with Guido and Porkpie, splashing through the surf and yelling out wings off as the two flew away. "Well, Jackie, we did it!" Guido said happily.

I looked at my two best friends. My buddies. My mates. "You're right," I said. "Not even those lousy un-dead stand a chance now!"

* * *

**Okay, what did you think? Yeah, it was kind of random, but I had to start somewhere, right? Well, I hope you can review it for me. Ot would mean heaps! Thanks!**

**Owls.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, people! Here's Chapter 3. Sorry about the wait, but I have a life too, okay? Well, sorry, I guess that was uncalled for . . . well, here it is! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own PJO or any of the characters, Nyx is a real goddess, but I do own Opal, because I created her. **

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Witnessing a Robbery is Part of Growing Up**_

Since that call with Boar and Hide we had had a great time. I was still the fastest Pegasus, and Porkpie still hung with us. I never really realised that it was that that was causing so much trouble.

I only knew when I was walking through the woods to where we'd agreed to meet. And I froze, I could hear a conversation.

"Come on, Ivory, we need to get Porky with us. He's family. _He _has to," said a strange voice.

"Yeah, I figured. But that won't mean anything," said another voice, I was guessing it was Ivory.

"No, I won't! You can't make me!" another voice protested. Porkpie's.

I crept up behind the trees I could hear it coming from. There were three pegasi there: one silvery grey, one dark brown, and Porkpie.

"Porky," said the grey, I recognised the voice as Ivory's. "I'm sorry, but I have no position here. It's your father's choice, whether to join the team or not. You'll be the first in generations not to. It will bring Shame on Drip."

The brown pawed the ground. "Listen to your mother, Porky. She knows what the right thing to do is; you need to join the chariot. It's always been it, the second generation must join. Therefore you need to."

"I don't want to be some un-dead Pegasus!" Porkpie yelled. I could feel my chest tightening. This is what Guido had meant with me never seeing Porkpie again.

I couldn't think properly. Was I meant do? [Shut up, boss] so I stormed in and stood in front of Porkpie. "He doesn't deserve this! He's a Pegasus, he should have a choice."

Drip—I was guessing that was his name—flared his nostrils. "You have no power here! This is a family matter!"

"I am family! I'm his best friend! If I'm not family, then you aren't either."

Ivory looked grateful for me, I could tell, but Drip was baring his teeth at me. "Get lost, colt."

"No, I have every right to be here, and Porks has every right _not _to join the chariot team."

"Get lost, colt. You have no idea what you're getting into!" he reared up on his hind legs. Ivory was looking at Drip, and then me, and then Porkpie. She said edged up to me so I could hear her whispering. "Look, I have no idea what will happen, or why you want to do this. I only know that you're a good friend and that he shouldn't lose you as he would if he were to join Cabin 5."

"He won't," I grumbled. I reared up, too, except Drip was like, twice my size. "GET LOST!" he yelled again.

I came back to all fours. "No. _You _should. Maybe you haven't got half a brain to realise that your son won't do well in that team because (a), he doesn't want to and would therefore have no passion and suck, and (b), he would be hated by all the other pegasi!"

This seemed to make Drip understand. He dropped back to the ground. "Why do you care? You're just some colt."

"No, I'm not just _some _colt; I'm your son's best friend, so back off!"

Drip looked away. "This time you're lucky, but it hasn't resolved the issue," he snorted and walked away. Ivory beamed. "Thank you," she said. "I'm lucky my son has such good friends," she looked at us two again. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Uh . . ." I glanced at Porkpie, he laughed. "My name's Blackjack. Um . . . You're welcome!"

And then I ran for it with Porkpie close behind.

We went to New York City that night. We were bored, what were we meant to do? It was like old times, we told random jokes and did areal summersaults, caused a few road blocks, nothing much.

We got bored of that eventually, and then turned around and headed back. When we did, we found out that some kid—his name was Butch, apparently—was their new best equestrian. He lived in Cabin 11, and most horses liked him, his nickname to us was Rainbow.

He didn't talk much. He was a tall, beefy guy with a whole lot of 'ceps. The thing was he was only thirteen. [Yeah, boss; thirteen!]

Occasionally the kids from Cabin 6 would come around and give us a carrot or two, but that was hardly ever. Cabin 5 never showed; they were too busy with their un-dead pegasi to play around with.

The best adventure we probably had was going to Olympus for the first time. It was winter, Christmas time, or to us the Winter Solstice, and we were allowed to go to Olympus with some other kids that Chiron was taking to Manhattan to see the gods' council. Me, Porkpie, Guido and a few other pegasi - yes, we _all _had crushes, okay? And well, the one I had a crush on was coming with us. I mean, what was I meant to do? She was by _far _the prettiest filly at the time. Her name was Opal, and she was a dark, chocolate brown with a black mane and tail. She had appaloosa patterns over her rump and these huge, beautiful chocolate-gold wings.

Basically everyone had a crush on her. Us three, Porky, Guido, and me we all went mush-brained when she said something to us. She had a golden glint in her eye that sparkled every time she fixed her eyes on you. [I could go on for hours about her, but boss is getting really irritated. _Really, boss?_]

Anyway, we were all following the bus that the campers and Chiron were on, and she was accompanied by all her friends. They were chatting, and us three colts were just listening to every word that was coming from Opal's mouth.

"Have you got any crushes on a special colt, Opal?" I heard one of her many friends ask her. Me, Porks and Guido staggered in harmony.

"Well, Felicia, now that you mention it . . ." was her response. I could hear silence of when the horse's trying to decide whether to say who or not. Then I could feel that creepy feeling of eyes on your back. I swore I nearly plummeted to my death right then.

"I do," she said. Her friends squealed. I looked at my buds. They were gaping at me. I was guessing I was gaping at them. We were leading the pegasi, and then there was this huge group of other behind Opal and her friends. I was staring wide-eyed ahead of me, having no idea where to go or what to do. Suicide seemed like a pretty good option.

"Who is it, Opal?" asked another of her friends.

"Oh, only the -" she stopped, then made thinking noises. "Well, he's really cool, and fast, and all-out awesome, quite frankly. And he breaks rules—_heaps _of rules."

The fillies squealed, "no way! Who is he? Names, appearances, parents!"

"Well, appearances first: he's . . . tall? That's all I'm going to say. If I say more you fillies will steal him."

I couldn't breathe, quite frankly. No way, she _had _to be talking about someone else. No way could I fit that description! [Very funny, boss!] I was way too good for that! I was not tall! I was huge! [Ha! Look who's laughing now! Hey! I did _not _deserve a bath for that - urgh! Sea water! You are _so _going to die! *many painful noises*]

We followed the bus until it parked in the Empire State Building Car Park. It was then that I saw what effort mortals went to for Christmas. I could see this huge Pine Tree in Times Square, and all the screens were showing pictures of Christmas. There was tinsel all over the place and baubles and stuff like that.

We headed up towards the clouds. Maybe to most you couldn't see where we were going, but there was a sort of bronze archway suspended in the clouds that we flew through, where we then entered the land of the gods. There were paved roads with men and woman running across them, with small white and bronze townhouses littered through the place that was made on a mountain's peak. There was a main square before the Hall of the Gods, and temples were woven through the mass of Olympus.

We landed in the main square and watched people gather around us. Minor gods ran forward to us. I recognised one - Nyx.

She was tall and lithe, with braided hair with diamonds, or maybe stars - braided through it. Her eyes glowed like the Milky Way, and when I looked at them it looked like I was seeing the night sky. Her skin was the colour of ebony that glistened blue and silver, and she wore a dark blue Chilton with a belt that looked like it was made of stars.

I wasn't sure where I knew her from, but I did. [Jeez, I sound like boss now! Yeah! You see? You agree: you're terrified!]

Through all the Minor gods, something split them like a wedge. It came towards us, glowing silver. We all closed our eyes and looked away. When the light died, we saw before us a Pegasus. No, not _a _Pegasus—_the _Pegasus! He was at least twice the size of my dad, and he glowed silvery-white with a mane and tail that looked like liquid moonlight. His eyes were a deep bronze and he had silver hooves, they were so big that every four of mine would've equalled one of his!

He regarded us all with his bronze eyes, before raising his wings. Okay for future reference, all demigods out there think that Pegasus is just randomly flying around in the sky nowadays, but us pegasi know different, he actually lives on Olympus and is happy to entertain us little foals.

His wings blazed out pure silver. Every single one of his feather looked like a pure shard of Immortal Silver—what do you think the Hunters' weapons are made of?—and then he lowered them again and arched his neck.

"Greetings, young pegasi," he said. His voice sounded as magnificent as he looked; ancient, wise and powerful: a hero of ancient Greece's mount—a god's mount.

"I understand you have come to see the gods," he continued. "I respect that entirely, but, if you were to choose, I would be happy to give you a tour of Olympus, not to mention a master-class in areal skill."

That sold it. Porks and Guido looked at me, and I looked at them. We were _so _in that class.

"So, if you would like to follow me," he launched into the sky. Us three followed him without hesitation. We could hear the other murmuring behind us, and then there was a shriek, "oh my gods, Opal!"

"What the Tartarus?" I looked at my buds, but they looked as stunned as me. I looked behind me and saw no one, and then I felt myself be bumped sideways. Opal had done it. "Hey, colts," she said, her eyes twinkling. We all went mush-brained.

"Looks like I have competition," she looked at Pegasus and then back at us. "I heard you guys are the best flyers at camp."

"We . . . Uh . . . Um . . ." we really couldn't say much. [Be quiet, boss!]

Opal grinned at us. "I may have all those friends, but that doesn't mean that a filly can't be good at _other _things, such as flying, not to mention _beating _other colts."

Had I mentioned that I had a crush on her? Oh yeah . . .

Guido was trembling, but he still spoke. "So . . . You're good at beating other guys, then?"

"Some . . . like Boar and his Brainless Buddies," she smiled. "But rumour has it that you guys beat them, too. Have you guys been ridden yet?"

We all shook our heads sheepishly.

"Oh. I have. I got ridden by a Selina. She's really good at riding; Daughter of Aphrodite. Not what I expected. But she's good at riding, and she's a good teacher, but I'm fussy about how people ride me: perfect or not at all. You don't boot the horse to get it going! You gentle nudge them to say_, may you please go faster?"_

I was pretty sure I was drooling. [Very funny, boss. Hey, cut that out Porks! You were drooling too! Yeah, I remember! And so was Guido! What? Yes, you were, Guides. No! I never lie! Shut up, boss! That was a once-only thing. Hey! Stop that! You still owe me for that! Yeah, not laughing now, are you?]

She winked at us. Then Pegasus came to a stop in front of a wide, open expanse of sky. There were heaps of cloud rings and stuff like that. Pegasus turned and grinned at us. "This is where we'll start," then he looked disappointed, "only four pegasi? What a shame. But, I guess this means one thing: race, then train."

Oh dear, I had to race Opal. I didn't want to be a show-off in front of her, I didn't want to make her depressed or anything like that. She smiled at me - a million drachma smile. "Fastest pegasi wins," then she lowered her voice. "I don't want any _nice guy. _I want to see what you've got, Jackie."

Oh - my - gods. She wanted to . . .

I looked at Porks and Guido. We were all thinking the same thing. _What in Tartarus are we going to do? _I shifted the weight to my other legs. "Um . . . Okay, Opal."

She grinned, and then winked again. Pegasus lifted an eyebrow at us. I guess he'd seen a lot of this. He stepped aside and then looked at us all. "Now, you four are going to do the course marked out, it's easy to follow, not so easy to do. I should mention that the cloud rings have an added extra danger if you crash through one." He gazed out at the course, "so, young pegasi, on go."

He narrowed his eyes. "Three . . . !" I lowered myself down and raised my wings, next to me Opal, Guides and Porks did too. "Two . . . !" I looked out at the course, slowly planning out every move. The first line of cloud rings looked like they were too dense for a dive; it needed to be a corkscrew. "One . . . !" I sucked in a breath. I pricked my ears to the direction of the wind: none.

"GO!"

I zoomed off. I thought I had a lead, but I saw Opal appear next to me. Her head was set forward, and her eyes shone with determination. I could feel myself collecting up in surprise, and then I felt two other horses zoom past. "_What the Tartarus, Jack?" What the Tartarus, Jack?" _yelled Porks. I realised I was last. I blinked in surprise and then zoomed off in pursuit.

The first obstacle was what I had expected. It was a line of dense cloud rings. I pressed my wings against my sides and corkscrewed through them, shooting past Porks, but making sure to move away, only to feel a burning line whip my wing.

I gasped and looked at it. A bright blue line was glowing amidst my feathers. I ground my teeth and tried to block out the burning pain. The rings ended steeply and there was enough room for one (painful) wing beat to shoot me corkscrewing upwards through another line of cloud rings. I could see Guido's white backside in front of me, his wings folded close. I shot through the rings, passed him, and then gained on Opal.

The next part of the course was the hardest by far. The line on my wing had risen to a burn. The skin of my wing-arm was showing through it, with a silvery-blue burn glistening brightly on it. I flinched but kept going.

I didn't notice anything until Opal spontaneously shot sideways, her brown and gold wings flailing as she was, before she was shoved downwards. Then I felt it—a huge wind shove at me brutally. I felt myself slip in mid-air, before being shoved by another mysterious wind. The sky around us looked normal, but it must've been enchanted, because those feral winds kept smashing into us.

I thought about how I flew with the winds that peeled off the sea. I moved my wings to the wind. It was one of those moments that my mind went blank, and I just sort of acted on instinct. Before I realised what had happened, I was out of the winds with a line of cloud rings in front of me, back to where Pegasus was.

I thought, _easy. _That was when the first bolt came loose.

A jagged ray of golden electricity shot from the ring. I dodged it and yelled, "Whoa!" just as I moved aside, another shot at me, causing to hit the ring, which zapped my wing. I set my teeth and concentrated on getting through. One bolt shot at me. It missed. Another shot at me. Another missed. Soon I was out, and puffing in front of an enormous white chest.

I looked up at Pegasus. He easily was a neck and head taller. He was smiling. "I believe it's been a while since I've seen someone do that," he looked behind me. I did too. Opal was just getting through the winds, and Porks and Guides were stuck in there at the moment.

"Um . . ." I said, dumbstruck. Pegasus laughed. "I'm merely congratulating you. Well done," his bronze eyes shone with a deep contentment. I gave a shy smile. "Thanks, Mr Pegasus . . ."

He chuckled. "Pegasus is fine. Now, unless I was hallucinating, you have an eye for that young filly."

"Uh . . ."

"I don't mean to intrude, but I think she may have an eye for you."

"_What? _You . . . you really think so?" I was looking up at him like I used to do with my dad when I was a foal: looking at the underside of his jaw as he was looking at something else, before he'd look down at me again.

"Yes, I do." He looked down at me with his bronze eyes. "I wish you well, and remember, before you go, there's someone that would like to see you."

I was puffing still, and the pain in my wing was growing since my adrenaline had stopped. Pegasus looked at it. "The first of many, young Pegasus; keep it as a reminder that you did the course your first time faster than the original Pegasus."

I gaped, still felling myself rock back and forwards as I panted. Opal staggered to a stop next to me. "Uh . . . thanks, Mr Pegasus—"

"Please, young Mare, call me Pegasus."

"Pegasus, thank you for that, I guess . . . if the goal was for me to think that I needed to be a seriously better flyer."

Pegasus regarded her with amusement. "Never mind, the first go is always the hardest. But still, you're the first filly in a while to even _try _the course. Be proud."

I couldn't really be sure what happened after that. I remember Guido and Porkpie landing and stumbling after me, and them talking with Pegasus.

My wings remember all the moves he taught, along with my flying-conscience (long story), but all my memory surges back when we met up with the other pegasi in the main square.

The fillies squealed when Opal came back. Guido and Porkpie were still freakishly tired, so no one noticed me sneak away.

I found myself on the steps of the main square. The pegasi had gone off somewhere. I was about to figure out where when I felt the air darken. I looked around, and saw Nyx standing there. She was generating her own field of night. I noticed that the sky was turning darker, a shade of pale pink, hued with red.

"Well, Pegasus," she said. "I believe I have waited a while to meet you."

I looked at the minor goddess. "Why?"

"I do not give away the Blessing of Nyx to any mere Pegasus," she twirled her fingers through one of her thin, long braids. "Surely you have realised it. You are the darkest shade of Midnight Black, raven-black, you call it. You can slip away in the dark, the night. Have you not realised that you can see better than most in the dark? That is my Blessing. Flying I have no power over, that is all your talent."

"So you're telling me that _you_—a minor goddess—gave me, a horse—"

"Winged horse."

"—_Winged_-horse, your blessing? Why me? What makes me so special?"

She smiled. "Such is the nature of the Fates. You never can know; they simply _do. _I cannot say why, for I myself don't know. All I can say is that you were predicted a sad, painful, yet heroic fate worthy of Hercules. And that your life would be always entwined with another . . . a demigod hero, with a fate much like yours."

I thought about the figure I'd seen in that split second when the water spat me out. Nyx smiled. "Now, Pegasus, go. I believe that there are many that wait for you, where as I must go to my night. Farewell, my Pegasus."

And just like that, she was gone, disappearing into a dark blue mist the melted into the darkness of night. Was it every day that a goddess told you that you had their blessing? I was guessing not. [Nice to know what _you _think, boss; useless as it is—_ouch!] _

I met up with Porks and Guides at the steps. The group of kids was standing there. For some reason, I managed to realise that there was a kid missing. There was usually a tall blond kid with s thick scar over his cheek. I remember where he got it. There was this hoo-ha about a quest, except he was really mad with it, and he came back, with a failed quest and that scar. His dad, Hermes, was disappointed, and ever since then, the guy had grown more and more secretive. Maybe Chiron and the campers didn't realise, but us pegasi did.

"Yo, Jack! Where's the fasted Pegasus of the day?" yelled Porkpie as I walked over. I grinned at him. "Never better, Porks. What 'bout you guys? You looked pretty knackered after that."

"And you didn't?" my buds fell over themselves laughing. I shook my head. "You sad, sad colts," I said, just as the two laughed again.

Chiron stamped his hoof on the ground to get everyone's attention. "Campers, pegasi, we will be leaving shortly. We're just waiting for—"

"Sorry!" yelled two kids that had just run out of the gift shop. I know what you're thinking, _a gift shop in the city of the gods? _Well, yeah, there was. Chiron smiled and then said, "Come along," he began to lead the campers away.

I stood and waited for a few seconds. "Come on, Jack," said Guido, nudging me as he began to walk away. "What? Oh. Just a sec."

The two shrugged with their wings and began to walk away. I waited. Then, the kid came running out of the building, shoving something in his bag. It shone electric blue, and as he passed the smell of ozone followed him, then I saw something glint from his bag. He looked over his shoulder, right at me, but he never saw me, because where I was standing was already dark, so he didn't see a pure black Pegasus standing there, watching him run with the stolen items from Olympus.

We were nearly back at camp when I first felt it: the small, gentle wind before everyone was shoved by a huge gust. We all toppled, before collecting ourselves. Storm clouds gathered on the horizon, lightning crackled, sleet poured. I had a feeling those items weren't just items.

That was the very moment I saw a kid standing in the middle of a yard; alone. He was looking up at us, or more closely, me. I could feel his eyes on me. I could see him better this time; black hair as dark as mine, with a glint of sea-green in his eyes. You can't find that green in a normal mortal's eyes. Just as looked down, he looked away, and ran into the building, a huge mansion-like building that was just creepy and sad. I could imagine kids trapped in there all day, staring at a blank wall.

As I soared above them, the kid popped his head out. He was on the third level now. How he'd got there so quick I had no idea, but he had. His eyes were _definitely _green; green like the ocean. If he was a mortal, I'd say that he had the closest colour eyes you could get to sea-green, but these weren't close, they _were. _He was staring at me, and then the window he was looking through slammed shut, and he was gone. I was still staring down. It was the same kid that I'd seen that night I'd beat Boar, I knew it. And he _most _certainly wasn't mortal. Nyx's words came back to me. _All I can say is that you were predicted a sad, painful, yet heroic fate worthy of Hercules. And that your life would be always entwined with another . . . a demigod hero, with a fate much like yours. _

As the place passed behind us, I had a bad feeling. Christmas night, and I felt bad. Night, I thought, who gave me her blessing. Then why had that kid seen me? I had no idea. [Shut up, boss. Yes, we know who you are _now, _but when I first saw you I was freaked out. Yes, I know that's not like me! Why are we yelling at each other when this is _my _story? Yeah, I know, odd. Yes, I said odd! Shut up, Porkpie! Don't help him, Guido! Argh!]

Then when we made it back to camp, the weather was in turmoil. The guy that I'd seen with the stolen stuff was smiling and leaning on the pine tree that had once been a demigod that never made it into the borders. I remembered her faintly, I was a foal at the time, but I did. I can remember the other guy too, and a third little kid, a girl with curly blonde hair and grey eyes. I knew her from the Athena cabin. I had a bad feeling that she'd end up in this too.

I stood on the shore, alone. Porks and Guides had called it a day, but I was out and about. I hated being trapped in the stables. I was about to go for a walk when I heard a voice, it was so painful it sounded like a sword being sharpened on rock. _The Fates don't like you, Pegasus. Oh, I can't wait to see when you find out why. The boy was only the first, you will see._

What boy? But the voice had stopped. A tremor shook the ground and a huge wave rose from the sea and crashed into me. I had seen a robbery. Was that really part of growing up? I doubted it.

* * *

**Ta-da! I hope you liked it! If you think Opal's too out there, please tell me. Also, I know the people that I've showed this to think that the two kids that run out are Travis and Conner. The answer: yes, they most certainly are. And yes, the kid that Blackjack saw on the beach IS Percy, along with the kid in the yard-it's meant to be Yancy Academy. Thanks everyone for being patient enough to wait for this!**

**Cat: Owl, just be quiet and submit the document**

**Owls: But I like saying these random things**

**Cat: then at least don't write these conversations**

**Owls: Sorry, until the next chapter, good night!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! Sorry about the wait. Okay, here we are, Chapter 3. If there are any questions, please tell me and I will do my best to answer them hopefully without spoiling the story.**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own PJO, or any of the characters-except Opal. **

**Enjoy!**

**Owls**

* * *

**_Chapter 3: I Meet(and Rescue) the Supreme Lord of the Bathroom_**

_Yes, finally, I come into it!_

Well, sort of. I was one of the pegasi watching you give Clarisse a shower.

_Oh . . . but that _was _a good moment._

So we all hope.

_So we all know!_

Look, boss, just shut up, okay? Onwards with Chapter 3!

Since my _very touching_ revelation, I had been going out with my buddies even more. Opal kept popping up every now and then, and the weather just went berserk.

Hurricanes appeared everywhere, earthquakes, lightning strikes were more common, and even tidal waves! And that meant that my buds and I could do hardly anything. But we did, anyway.

We decided to go for a trip to New York anyway; caused a few roadblocks. Stuff like that. We were really happy with ourselves until we saw a long, jagged split appear in the pavement. Out of it crawled an old, wiry hag with huge bat wings. As her claws touched the pavement, she began to warp into something else, a short woman that looked about fifty with hair pulled back in a bun wearing a leather jacket. As she stood on the pavement, the crack closed up behind her.

That freaked us out. We went back to camp. But the weather became so bad that we had to leg it. As we climbed the hill to camp, we saw Chiron wheeling himself down in his magical wheelchair. Argus stood next to a large, white van.

Chiron saw us and smiled. "Greetings, pegasi," he said, pulling up next to the van. "I'm taking a leave of absence, since one of our satyrs has found a more powerful demigod with a stronger scent."

I thought about the kid I'd seen. Then I thought about the woman that had appeared from the crack. I looked at my buds, and they nodded at me.

"Uh . . . Chiron," I said. "When we were out, we saw . . . something _strange."_

"What kind of strange?"

"We saw a crack appear in the footpath, and then a monster crawled out, except as she did, she changed into a person."

"Tell me exactly what you saw."

So I did. I told him the exact appearance of the woman/monster. Chiron scowled the whole time.

"This means that Hades is onto something. But I don't have the time now. When I return, we shall talk more." And he climbed into the van, and was driven away.

After that lovely talk, the weather escalated even more. Chiron had been gone for nearly three months. Opal kept appearing on our trail, following us, I was guessing, and the three of us were just _bored. _We couldn't go flying; the weather was just _too _bad. We couldn't play Catch the Pegasus, because it was too stupid with the weather. Even the Hippocampi were trapped in Poseidon's palace beneath the sea.

That left us bored out of our tree; until a break appeared.

We were so happy that we left straight away. Middle of the night, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We zoomed around like idiots, until I crashed into something and tumbled.

Groggily I looked up from the sand. Opal was standing up and shaking herself off. "Well, that was nice," she said. She looked at me. "Thanks for crashing into me."

"Hey, I was being an idiot, you should've expected that," I said. Wait a second, had I just said that? Oh gods, I just said that to Opal! My brain started to crumble.

"That's very nice, Jackie. I just thought I might offer you something," she said.

I probably said something really smart like, "Uh . . . um . . . yeah . . . uh . . ."

She smiled slightly, "A rematch."

I looked at my wing. The feathers had grown back a bit, but there was still a silvery-blue scar beneath it if you looked carefully.

"Uh . . ."

"_Yes _or _no_, Jackie."

I looked at my buds. They were gaping at me, but Guido was grinning and nodding hysterically. "Uh . . . okay. . . . Yes."

Opal grinned and pawed the ground. "Then let's get going."

Guido and Porkpie were standing beneath us, on the sand. It was the same race as the one I'd won with Boar. All the way to the oil tanker, then turn around and back. I was feeling pretty good about it.

Guido yelled out, "THREE . . . ! TWO . . . ! ONE . . . ! GO!"

We both zoomed off. I could feel the water spilt beneath me as we zoomed across it. Opal was pretty darn fast, I had to admit, that was rare. I mean, I was the fastest, wasn't I? [No comment, boss.]

Anyway, as we raced across, I could see black clouds gathering on the horizon. Forked lightning cut between them, "Opal! Wait!"

She glared at me. "What are you playing at? I thought you were—"

I actually don't know what drove me to do it. Time seemed to freeze as I saw the jagged line of lightning descend through the clouds. I launched myself at Opal, smashing into her and knocking her out of the way. Then I felt it—well, I thought two things actually, Opal kicking me for being an idiot and shoving her, and then the lightning—the sharp, excruciating pain went straight through my shoulder; dead on to my chest. I was so certain I was dead.

But I wasn't.

I woke up on the sand. Wind was whipping at me and it felt like my wing had been chopped off. I breathed in—a ragged, painful breath down a throat that felt like it had been gargling salt, which it probably had—and then out again. I looked around for people, my buds, but I couldn't see them.

My eyes felt like live coals pressed into their sockets. I couldn't move. I fixed my eyes along the shore, the clouds were black and they sat in the sky like a huge roof over the world. The sea was wild, huge waves crashed against the sand, and in the distance I could see tiny houses, like shacks.

There was a pale light on in one's window; mortals. Even through the storm, I could smell something in the wind: monsters. Not any monster, though, this one smelt huge, and bad. There was a farmhouse stink to it. I couldn't stay there; an immobile Pegasus would be its afternoon snack.

I shifted my free wing. It felt okay. I pushed myself to all fours, and then slowly, painfully, stood up. My legs were cramped and sore, but they felt, other than painful, okay. My wings were in working order, I was sure of that, but even through the rain and wind, I could feel the burn on my shoulder.

I looked down at it: it was silvery and shaped like a lightning bolt—that was just _tight. _My left shoulder, the one with the burn, was probably in the worst nick. Sure, it was okay, but the muscles in it were so stiff every time I moved the leg I got cramps. I realised that I couldn't walk it, I'd have to fly.

I took off alright. Thank the gods my wings didn't cramp, and thank Pegasus for all those moves he taught me. Thanks to him, I was able to navigate the savage winds and find myself in a straight line. I was about to congratulate myself when I saw the monster that was giving off the stink.

It was the Minotaur. It bellowed in rage, and then I saw why: a satyr was getting a woman and a kid into a car, the woman began to gun the car down the main road: satyr; kid. That meant demigod. The monster began running after the car, a Camaro, by the looks of it. I wouldn't say it was that flash, I've caused roadblocks with some better ones.

The monster was fast. He had the speed of a bull, what do you expect? He charged after the car, which was swerving in the rain. I had to help. I was meant to.

I followed the Minotaur; it seemed intent of going to get that car. I followed it all the way until it roared again and a huge lightning bolt come down and send the car flying. The monster showed his cow-faced grin and charged at it. I could see the figures moving around in the car, they were okay.

I dove at the Minotaur, and kicked it in the back of its furry, brainless head. It bellowed and turned around on me. As it tried to grab me I backed up and kicked him where the sun don't shine.

He doubled over in pain. Man that was a satisfying moment. I was about to yell out _yeah, _but I forgot that my throat refused to work, so I made a noise more like, "_eeeek."_

Not so satisfying.

I watched the occupants of the car run out. The kid and the woman were carrying the satyr. Typical, the Protector's always the one that passes out. [What was that for?]

As the monster looked up, he bellowed at me, but then he looked at the people, just as the kid looked at me. No—freaking—way. That was the same kid as the one that I'd seen in that building, and when the water had spat me out.

That was one too many coincidences, even for a demigod and Pegasus. He looked back, but he didn't see me, he was just looking at the Minotaur. I couldn't blame him. Would you choose the really handsome thing to look at or the thing that would squash you _and _the handsome thing? Well, I know who I would've chosen. [Shut up.]

I was about to go in and help, but it seemed that the Minotaur had chosen to look at the handsome thing—maybe he wasn't so brainless, after all—and tried to grab me. I only just managed to dodge it. He bellowed at me, and then attempted to swat me away, but I went right at him and kicked him in the eye. Before he could do anything else, I came around and kicked him in the shoulder.

Then he went brainless again.

He charged at the people, but they jumped out the way, sending him barrelling straight past them. He roared and charged again. They attempted to jump again, but this time they were separated. The monster grabbed the woman and held her in his fist. She clawed at his hand, and the kid yelled. I dove at his head again, just as a cloud of golden, shimmering light burst from where his mother had been. Just as the light erupted I planted a kick in the monster's thick, hairy and _really _brainless head.

He bellowed, and charged at the kid. I considered going in to get him, but he acted by himself. He backed up against the pine tree, and then, as the Minotaur came charging towards him, somehow jumped onto the thing's head.

The Minotaur roared and barrelled away, the kid still on his head, gripping the horns. The thing charged at the motionless satyr, but the kid yanked at one of his horns, pulling his head sideways. There was a huge _CRACK! _And the horn came right off. The monster kept running, swerved and began to tumble. The kid fell right off.

He always thought his head landed on a rock. In actual fact that was my hoof. [Jeez, I didn't do it on purpose!]

I was trying to grab him, but my injured leg had fallen asleep and made me tumble, so the guy landed on my hoof. Ouch, I thought, but then the monster stood. He shook himself off. The guy was still out.

I grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him away. The monster barrelled past again. I left him with his head on a real rock, just to keep it up, so the blood didn't rush and stuff like that. I have a brain, you know!

The monster fixed my in his lop-sided head. Ironic, really, his left horn and left eye were the damaged ones. Huh.

He charged, and I kicked him in the face so he fell backwards. Then the kid sat up.

The monster struggled to his feet, and the guy looked at him with anger like only an ADHD demigod could. He stood up and held the horn in his hand. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it made the monster run at him. As it did I zoomed down and kicked him in the back of the head so he bent down, and from below the kid stabbed him with the horn.

The explosion of the monster threw him back, and me too, but I stayed in the air. As the monster disintegrated into sand, the kid sat up and walked over to the satyr. He began to drag him away. I could only help, so he never noticed me in the dark, holding the bottom of the goat-boy's t-shirt, helping the kid drag him back to camp.

That was the first of many days that my life went weird.

I left the kid on the porch of Big House, where he'd just passed out at the feet of Cabin 6's Head Counsellor, Annabeth Chase, and Chiron.

When I eventually made it back to the stable I met a reception of eyes. They were staring at me like I should be dead. Ivory looked up. She looked like she'd had her head resting on the stall door for hours. She glanced at me sadly. "Am I hallucinating? Have I fallen asleep?"

"No," I said. "Sorry to ruin your day."

Her eyes widened, "Honey! Phoenix!" she yelled. My dad came to the stall door. "Ivory, what do you—"

He stopped as he looked at me. "Blackjack! Oh my gods! Honey!"

My mum walked up. Her cheeks were still wet from crying. She looked at me with her good eye. "Hello, Jackie," she said. A fresh wave of tears hit. Did everyone really think I was dead?

I would've stopped to say more, but Porks and Guides rammed into their door and looked over. "No freaking way! Jack!" they yelled. Porkpie leaned over and undid the lock. They came charging out and barrelled into me. "Gods, you had us—" they stopped as a silhouette blocked the light coming through the door.

"What are you colts on about?" asked a voice. I recognized it as Opal's. "Shouldn't you be upset? Not running around like idiots?" she sounded harsher than usual. Porkpie looked away from me. "Uh . . ."

"Is that any way to say hello to a really handsome colt that should be dead but is nearly impossible to kill?" I said. That was fun to say. Her silhouette froze. "Are you . . . ?"

Guides and Porks stepped away. "Oh—my—gods," she said, "Blackjack!"

Now, I must get this straight: I don't usually expect hugs from fillies that I may or may not have a crush on, but hey! It's a nice surprise. [Stop laughing, boss.]

She smashed into me and hugged me—you know what a horse hug is right? I hope you do, otherwise this will sound really weird—then she stepped back and kicked me. "You complete idiot! You had to get yourself killed, didn't you?"

"Uh . . . I thought it was pretty bad myself, but it's nice to know that that irritates people."

"Well, you scat-for-brains, don't do that again! You made me lose!"

"Oh . . . well, at least I came out with something I didn't go in with!"

"And what the heck would that be?"

I was about to say something else, but then I just said, "Scar."

She leaned in for a look. "That's cliché. Looks like a lightning bolt."

"Yeah, well it hurt like a lightning bolt," I grumbled.

"It _was _a lightning bolt, Jack," Porkpie said. I whacked him in the face with my tail. Guido laughed.

I guess I kind of lost track of things after that. Everyone was like, _yay, you're not dead! _Which was kind of good, I guess. Better than everyone wanting you dead. Well, the next three days were pretty dull. I just did random things with my buds—chased some satyrs, made some demigods fall off their horses or pegasi, tried to convince Chiron—oh yeah, he was back—to let the campers ride us. He said it was up to them, so my buds dared me to do a really dramatic, _please ride me _stunt with Silena Beauregard.

A dramatic _please ride me _is where the horse—me—stands really dramatically—on a slight angle with the left leg raised and an arched with your head cocked so that the mane falls over their right eye and has that glint in their eye that says,_ please get on my back, _and if you're a Pegasus you can open out your wings. Works like a dream—and then wait for them to climb on.

You act really nice for a bit—then you go psycho. Gee, that was fun. So, there I was, standing dramatically, while she was looking at me. She seemed to be contemplating whether to use the whip to get rid of me, chase me out; get another Pegasus to chase me out, or actually ride me.

Thank gods she chose the riding.

She swung on easily, and then sat squarely. I was certain I wasn't going to let this happen again anytime soon. She nudged me with her heels—really? Was that necessary? We understand English, you know. _You _may not understand horse, but we can understand the simple, _please walk on; thank you. _You demigods are so strange—and so I acted all nice and docile and walked on, calmly and steadily.

She seemed perfectly happy up there. She led me down a wood trail. That was fun. At first I let her have a canter on me. Then I took off.

Fun.

I did a tight corkscrew upwards. I could feel her hanging on for dear life. I wasn't going to let her fall, alright? Just give her a scare. Then I levelled out, let her rearrange herself, and then dove, did a corkscrew as a nice finish, and then pulled up into a backflip.

She didn't scream the whole time. No pounding on the neck. She just sat there, like she refused to be shaken. I was about to do something really nice when I came eye-to-eye with Opal.

"Put—her—down," she said, shoving her face into mine angrily. I could see the anger in her eyes—I guess I was still kind of mush-brained about her. [Very funny, guys.]

"Aw, come on!" I said, I was very happy terrorizing the kids at camp. Opal glared at me. "No, get her off you, _now._"

I never thought I'd argue to anyone about something like this, but now that I was, I knew that it was a fight I couldn't win. I gave in. "Fine."

Opal snorted and shoved into me. Silena shuffled off me and sild onto her back. From there they gently glided to the ground, where a shaky Silena hopped off and began walking away.

I ran before Opal could attack me—and I _knew _she would.

The rest of that day I was doing nothing, basically. The weather was really, good, strange as it is, but for some reason we didn't go anywhere. There was a sort of heaviness in the air, and usually when the air's heavy, it means that something bad—or good, but usually bad—will happen.

I really hate it when I get it wrong. [No need for comments, boss. Dude, can you just shut up for once? No, I am not a scat-for-brains! I thought you said you'd shut up. Very funny, no one's laughing. Don't help him, Guido!]

I had nothing to do, so I pranked a few people, and then decided to check on the kid's backside that I'd saved. He was sitting in a chair on the porch, talking to the satyr. No one saw me, I was in the shade. The satyr handed the kid a shoebox, and the kid opened it. Inside was a horn, the horn that he'd broken off the Minotaur. Why do I never get stuff like that? [Very funny, boss. Shut up.]

After that they went around and talked with Chiron and Mr D. I watched that, too. I didn't actually know where Guido and Porks were, I was guessing they were being interrogated by Opal. I'm such a good friend. After that very pleasant talk with the god of wine and the centaur, the kid was lead down through the cabins by Chiron, who made some excuse to leave to see what that kid that had stolen the stuff was doing. Chiron tended to watch him a lot now.

After he'd met Cabin 11, the head counsellor for Cabin 6, Annabeth, led him around to cabins, where he met the dear Clarisse.

I wasn't really all that sure what she was doing, really, I only knew that when she saw the punk she pulled the, _oh goody, a newbie to torture! Christmas is early!_ Thing, and got him in a headlock and pulled him to the girl's bathroom.

Let me get this straight: I only watched because I wanted to see what the guy would do. I have _way _better things to do than to look through the window of the girl's bathroom. That is just gross. [Thank you, boss, you agree.]

Anyway, I was watching Clarisse try and force his head into the toilet bowl. I was just staring, I don't know why, but I was, then I could hear something, in my head. _You will not go into that toilet; you will not go into that toilet. _I looked at the guy, and he seemed to have that thought written all over his face. I don't know about you people out there, but I know that _I _wouldn't want to end up with _my _head in there.

I was about to say something like, _"urgh," _but it seemed that the drain pipes beat me to it. A loud shuddering noise echoed through the plumbing, and soon a water spout shot from the toilet, hitting Clarisse in the face and sending her flying backwards. Annabeth was standing in the corner of the room, still covering her face. As Clarisse backed up into the shower, they turned on too, and she and her siblings were being showered. Every shower, toilet and tap went nuts and shot out water. It was actually pretty funny.

They staggered around, before running out of the door. "Whoohoo!" I yelled. The rest of the camp did too. More pegasi flew down and cheered too. The water shut off, and the kid was just sitting there. Now _that _is entertainment.

As the kid walked out, completely dry, next to a soaking Annabeth, I followed them. Hey, I'm a curious guy, and then I watched in the shadows of the trees from across the Canoe Lake while they talked. I couldn't help but remember what Nyx had said, that my life would be tangled up with a hero forever.

Could he be the one?

**There you go! Chapter 3 done and dusted. Please be patient for Chapter 4! I'm really sorry if these take a while but I have assignments and stuff like that. Feel free to PM or anything.**

**Owl**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for being so patient! School sucks. Here it is! I know it's a short chapter, but I just needed to give you something! I was feeling so bad . . . anyhow, the Demigod Diaries is out in 3 days! AHHHHH!**

**Okay, here we are! Enjoy!**

* * *

**_Chapter 4: We Become Horse-Meat_**

After that nice experience, I did sort of follow the guy. But now I had my buds with me as well. I didn't tell them _why_ I was following the kid—because Nyx mentioned a certain _hero —_but they did know that the guy had so far evaded all those practical jokes that the Stoll Brothers had attempted to get him in.

So, we decided to take it to the next level. I mean, a guy that had been in Cabin 11 for a week, and not yet suffered a prank from the Stolls? This needed an _educated _prank.

So there we were, standing behind the stands in the Swordplay arena, whil Cabin 11 were having their lesson from Luke—the dodgy guy that I'd seen rob Olympus—and it just so happens that we were there gathering information. This was our mental list:

Find out name

Find out good skills

Find weaknesses

Improvise or tell the Stolls—like that's going to happen

We'd just found out number one, his name was Percy. One down, three to go.

Luke then gestured to Percy, and the guy stood up. All around him the kids ran into the laid-out swords that were there. Luke put a hand on Percy's shoulder and led him to them. We watched as he tried to find a sword that would suit the kid. Every time he tried one, he shook his head and Luke pulled out another. By that time there'd already been two pranks by the Stolls and they were being chased around by armed kids.

Eventually Percy just shrugged, and then Luke called for everyone to _fall in, _I mean, who the heck does that? _Fall? In? _Why would you do that? Fall into a hole? Fall into the Labyrinth? Fall into Tartarus? Those guys are just plain _odd, _sometimes.

Anyway, he said something about practising moves, and then pulled Percy out of the crowd. The kids sat down and then Luke demonstrated a disarming technique. I was kind of disheartened when I saw the guy look defeated so easily. I mean, I killed the freaking Minotaur with that kid, and he looks like that when there's only an older _kid _to beat? Seriously. [Hey! That's was three and something years ago! . . . okay, four! Happy? No, that's not a response! Hey! Keep off the Pegs scar!]

Anyway, after a few or something minutes, they took a break. Luke got himself a cup of ice water from the dispenser and poured it onto himself. I was guessing that Percy was thinking that looked pretty cool or something, because he did it, too. Thing was, no one ever realised—including him—that he was completely and utterly dry after he poured it on.

Then Luke decided to do a thing where the first person to disarm wins, and set about sparring with Percy. I was guessing the guy _really _needed that water, because he started to hold his own. Even from behind the stands I could see Luke's eyes narrowing, and quite frankly, Percy was looking so astonished Luke might as well have been the Pegasus that told me to keep a scar.

Is it just me, or have I been getting a lot of scars lately? Hmm . . .

Anyway, then they moved so that I had a clear view of Percy's face. I could practically see the cogs—tiny as they were—spinning in his head. Then he seemed to do a mental shrug and then caught Luke's sword in the disarming manoeuvre. As soon as the hilts crept close, Percy twisted, and Luke's sword hit the ground with a metallic _BANG!_

Silence. That's a good word to use. Even Pork, Guides and I were staring, mouths gaping at the kid that barely made it to Luke's shoulders that had beaten him. Water works wonders, I guess.

"Uh, sorry," Percy said. That was the line that split the silence. Heck yeah, I thought. First the Minotaur, and now . . . actually, that's not much of an improvement, is it? [Ow!]

"Sorry?" Luke almost yelled. "That was amazing! Show me again!"

And then we watched it all over again. Except this time Percy was beaten in two seconds flat. _Aw! _I thought. _Evil sword. Get a better sword! _That's me, alright!

After that, it finished. "Well," Porks said. "Entertaining . . ." Then he smiled slyly. "Should we gather more info, or should we act now?"

"Hmmm . . ." Guides said. "I reckon we need a tad more. Capture the Flag?"

"No," I said. "We find out first, then prank right in the middle of Capture the Flag."

Their heads nodded in agreement. I smiled evilly—I know, so like me—"and I have the best idea of what to do. And that, begins with C."

I looked over at Cabin 5. Yeah, it begins with C. Clarisse La Rue.

The guys and I stood in the shadows. The trees in front of us gave us a good view of what was going on. Since Porks couldn't hide in the shadows like me, or as well as Guido, he decided to herd Cabin 5 tugs to us, where we'd intercept them, and lead them to the creek, where Percy stood on Border Patrol. No, we didn't want him dead, and we knew that Cabin 5 would never do it, so we figured we'd have some fun while it lasted. [Oh my gods, you are asking for it! No! What the Hades? Yes, I was bored, happy? No, swearing is not an answer. I don't care if it was in Ancient Greek, where d'you learn those anyway? How did I know . . . ?*sighs*Annabeth. Shut up, okay?]

We heard the almighty rumbling of Cabin 5 tromping through the forest. Porks sped across the ground in front of them so fast he was just a silvery flash. The campers faltered, but Clarisse growled, "c'mon! It's just a freaking ghost. What do we want more? Find the punk or run?"

Murmurs of agreement sounded, and they resumed. Guido trotted out in front of them. He did the _I am sent by the gods to say this _whinny, and then I came out and did my awesome—and dramatic—part. As Guido darted off, I came out, reared up, and spread my wings. I was hoping that the Blessing of Nyx would help with his. And, amazingly, it did. Tiny pinpricks of light danced off the ends of the feathers on my wings, and the campers gaped in awe. Hey, I'm an _awe_some guy. [That was not necessary.]

The campers of Cabin 5, The Brainless Bunch, bowed before me. Yes! Talk about success! I dropped back to all fours. "Pegasus of the Night," said Clarisse formally. Heck yeah, this was good. "Are you one that grants us wishes?"

I did a dramatic bow. I hoped that penetrated their thick heads. It did.

"Take us to where the Insulter of our Father is," she said. I smiled, but they didn't notice, me being awesome and all. A nickered—the way a _real _Pegasus of the Night would, which I am, but I thought it was a nice touch—and cantered towards the creek. This was fun. We pegasi know how to prank, man! [Hey!]

As I heard the distant sounds of the creek, I reached out into the darkness, from there I felt myself fade—this was so cool—and took off. I left the kids from Cabin 5 stumbling out to the creek, where they were going to beat up Percy. Hey, I didn't _really _want him hurt, I'm not a monster. I just sort of wanted to succeed in pranking him. Give him a scare. I planned to dive in the heat of battle and save his butt, but that's not really what happened, if I'm frank.

I did a few circles in the sky, heard a few shouts, and then began to descend to save the day.

But I wasn't needed.

I saw as Percy suddenly picked up, and fought the kids away. Within moments, they were defeated. Clarisse backed up, just as Luke ran over the creek, and the flag was theirs. Man, I hate it when it doesn't go right!

I landed in the trees, where I could hear what was being said.

_Well done, hero, _said a voice. I saw Annabeth appear out of nothing, talking to Percy, she'd said the same thing to him, but I had heard the voice in my head.

For a moment I saw Nyx in front of me. _Well done, you used my blessing, but do not take it lightly. Use it when it's needed. _She smiled. _But maybe this was needed. Look, I must go._

What was that supposed to mean? But then I figured it out. I heard a gasp, and looked behind me. Percy was standing with a glowing green trident swirling above his head. Every vague horse knows that image. Percy was a son of Poseidon.

That meant he was superior to me! Urgh!

* * *

I kicked at the ground. The weather was only worse. Being stuck at camp was torture! Mentally I replayed the events in my mind: Percy accepting the quest, me watching him in the attic, and then watching him leave, this time with a new sword, one that appeared from a pen. I replayed the scene of him leaving in the van, and knowing there was something different about that kid. Sure, he was a son of Poseidon, but . . . I remembered the prophecy that Chiron had got from the Oracle like a gazillion years ago, but word stays with us pegasi, and I couldn't help but think . . .

I shook my head. No way. He's just a Bathroom Lord. Why would he be the one in the quest?

"Hey, Jackie," said a voice. There went my thinking.

"Hey, Opal."

Opal appeared next to me and gave me a small shove. "What'ya doing?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Not much," I said. "Thinking."

She gasped dramatically. "_Thinking? _Never!"

I smiled, "Hey, I may fly well, but that doesn't mean I'm stuck at doing one thing."

She grinned, and looked out to see. We were standing under the Pine tree at the crest of the hill. "Something tells me you're bored."

"Really? How'd you guess?"

"I'm guessing that you want to follow those three kids."

"Um . . ." Bingo! She had me nailed. Percy, Annabeth and Grover were all in that one van. I guess I kind of did want to get on their tail.

Opal grinned, "then go! Why wait? Get your buds and go!"

"Aren't you one of my buddies?"

She looked away and smiled shyly. "I guess so, but you, Porks and Guides have known each other forever! Get them and go. I'll cover your butt."

I gaped at her. "Really?"

She looked back at me, "duh, Star Eyes!"

"Star Eyes?"

"You really thought you could keep the Blessing of Nyx a secret from _me?"_

I shuffled awkwardly. "Uh . . ."

She whacked me with her tail. "Idiot. Get going!"

It was no use arguing with her. I turned away and was about to dash back to get Guides and Porks when I looked back. "Remind me to teach you how to use winds in flight when I get back," I said to her. She beamed. "Duh! Get your butt out of here or I'll _make _it get out of here if you don't leave NOW!"

She was laughing as I galloped away.

I gathered the guys up as soon as I was at the stables. From there we immediately went on the van's trail. The van pulled up at a Greyhound station, where the three kids got out. While they waited, we decided to make the most of the weather, and caused a few roadblocks.

We were about to say what a great day it was when a long, jagged fissure split the tarmac. Three shapes crawled out—all the same demon/woman/bat thing that I'd seen. As they crawled out they morphed to become three old ladies. They turned and slowly hobbled into the Greyhound. I shuddered. "Do you think . . . ?" I asked.

"Yeah," Guido said. "I do."

"Definitely," Porks said.

"You know what that means, right?"

They nodded, "Time to stalk a bus."

We followed the bus until it went into a tunnel. From there we just kept going, but it didn't take us that long to realise that we'd lost them.

"Man, that is just _tight!" _I yelled, furiously. Porkpie and Guido ground their teeth. I sighed. "Oh, well, I guess we'd better—"

I would've said more, but three ghoulish shapes launched themselves towards us. Haggish, with bat-like wings. "Hello, pegasi," said the one in the middle. "Care for a visit to the Underworld?"

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**Yeah! There we are! I swear on the River Styx that I will update ASAP! For now, enjoy and please review!**

**Owl**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! I swore and I kept my promise - unlike certain gods in this series - but, here is chapter 5! I'm sorry I ended the last one on a cliffhanger, but it needed to be done. So, here we are. **

**P.S. Get the title? Here was the last line of Chapter 4:**

_"Care for a visit to the Underworld?"_

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in this chapter.**

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**_Chapter 5: Preferably Not_**

I was backing up in fear. The three snarling hags crept closer, their bronze talons glinting. "Wha—What are you?" I managed. For some reason, the spot where the lightning had hit me was tingling.

"What was that, hon?" said Snarling Number 1, the one in the middle. "Oh, you godlings call us Kindly Ones."

Guido whimpered, "Furies."

Snarly Number 2 clapped her talons. "Correct! One has brains!"

Snarly Number 3 flew up higher, "We just got out of a bingle with some other godlings," she said. Then she shook her head, "Not at all nice. We used our whips, but he still held his sword."

"Indeed," Snarly Number 1 said. "Two godlings and the satyr. What do they do? They blow up a Greyhound, and the boy tells us to eat his pants!"

_Not bad, _I was thinking. I was in the middle of being attacked, and I was thinking about Percy's smart-alecky comment. [That was _not _something you were meant to agree on, boss.]

Snarly Number 1 lunged at me, but I managed to lock my wings in and drop like a stone, before she shot past us and slowly went _poof. _Well, not really, but Porks kicked her in the head. Is that _poof _enough?

Then the other two dove at me. Why is it always me? But, it seems that I said it aloud. "You tell us, Night Pegasus."

"Oh, man! This just gets better and better, doesn't it?" I grumbled as I regained flight. "Guides, Porkpie, we need to _get out of here!_"

That seemed to be a pretty good way of putting it, because we all bolted for our lives. The Snarlies back there seemed to have caught on, too. So they were after us, and, well, I guess you can assume that three pegasi that were barely colts running away from millennia-old monsters weren't going to stand much of a chance.

"Ooh, don't do that, little Star Eyes," said one of them. That really set me off. I could barely handle it when Opal called me that! At least she was joking! Mind you, I guess these guys were joking too, but they weren't really thinking that way, were they? [Even boss agrees!]

"Look, lady," I said. "There is only one person out there that is allowed to call me Star Eyes!"

"Tch, tch," she said. "That's no way to speak to your elders."

I realised something then. They weren't after my friends, just me. I looked at Porks and Guides who were next to me. They were so busy running they didn't realise I was looking at them. I sighed, and dropped.

The Furies came after me.

I could see my buds running for it. I could see the Furies snarling at me. I could see the sky drifting farther and farther away, and I could see many other things like that. I was telling myself that I had something that would get me out of this. I really was. But I couldn't think of anything.

The Furies snarled at me, and my buds seemed to realise what was happening. They dove at me, but a huge, bright red blast knocked us all aside.

I hit the ground really painfully. Above me was a dude in a blood-red chariot that was engraved with scenes of painful deaths and bloody wars. The dude himself was a tall, ripped dude with a crew-cut and a pair of wrap-around shades over his eyes. I couldn't really tell, but I thought I saw about a hundred million scars from numerous fights.

His chariot was being pulled by four black horses—not pegasi, horses—and he was wielding a huge, bronze sword, slicing the air around the Furies, but they were too fast. However, he seemed to be good enough to keep the Furies at bay.

"Now, now, little hags," said the guy, he sounded so freaking buff it wasn't funny. "I didn't want you to go around killing little defenceless things, that's war's job."

He grabbed a Fury by her neck and looked her in the eye. "That means it's _my _job."

"Dear, oh dear, the petty little War God has got a little annoyed," taunted one, obviously the leader. "But aren't gods _meant _to have a temper? They're renowned for it, I believe. The Sea God is anyway."

"Don't give me lectures on Barnacle Beard. He's too old to do anything."

"Well, then it seems his _son _is doing all the work."

"My uncle was desperate. That's why I'm looking for Zeus's masterbolt. You should know that, shouldn't you, little hags?"

"Be quiet, youngster!" yelled another Fury. "We are older than you think."

"War Veterans never last that long, sweetheart. They die from old age. That's why I'm a _younger _god. Apollo's even getting old—his poetry's getting worse."

"It was never good, scatterbrain. Now, where is it?"

"Oh, I think you'll have to try harder than that," he said, swinging his sword and cutting her in half, as she dispersed into golden powder.

The other two hissed. "You'll pay, War God. You think we don't already know? You think we're stupid?"

The one that said that swiped at him, and the other grabbed his sword arm and held it. The one that had swiped came up and latched onto his back. "We know, we know that you've found the thief, we know that you let him escape," she was about to grab his sword but the god threw them off.

"I don't _think—"_

_"_No, you don't, War God. You never did. We know you're _afraid."_

"Now, dearies, I was actually going to say I don't _think _you're stupid, I _know _you're stupid."

"Just like you _know _that you don't think?"

She was cut in half after that nice response.

The last one settled on his chariot. "Go ahead, Little War. Watch your plan fail. Watch it become even worse. Watch your fear become real. Watch the boy defy you," then she grinned slightly. "And he even failed his last Maths test."

Then he stabbed her.

Just as the golden dust began to fall, the monsters re-formed in mid-air. "Try again, go ahead, but we have other things to do," the leader said, and then they flew off.

The guy—I was assuming he was Ares, the war god—led his chariot down and landed. I suddenly saw Porks and Guido come out of the trees. "Ouch," they moaned.

Ares crossed his beefy arms and grinned. "Well, well, well, it seems that even the _pegasi _have chosen to break the rules."

"Can someone tell me something I _don't _know," I said, stretching out my wings, which I had sadly landed on.

"I can tell you that Clarisse wants you dead."

"Hey, that was a fun night."

"Meh," he shrugged. "Anyway, I have an offer."

"Another offer? Actually . . . that would be the first. I've had plenty of _orders _though."

"Well, this one involves staying on the kids' trail. I want you to follow them. Keep them alive until they make it to Los Angeles. That should work out from there."

"You"—I flicked my tail at him—"want us"—I flicked my tail and Porkpie and Guido—"to follow the kids from camp until they make it to Los Angeles, and then you want us to just . . . _leave_?"

The guy nodded, "And keep them alive, and or clean up any mess that they may make."

"So . . . you want us to save their butts if needed?"

"Hey, you've done it before, Ole Jackie-o. Won't be anything new."

I looked back at my buds, "Should we?"

The nodded, "What's the worst that can happen?"

"You could die," Ares pointed out. "Or—"

"Yeah, we get it. So, I guess that's a yes?"

The guys nodded.

"Fine. I guess . . . that means we go . . . _now?"_

"Yep. Then, when they're at Los Angeles, you come home," he elbowed me. Which is really weird for a horse. "And catch up with certain fillies."

"Lord Ares, you are a _strange _and _insane _god," I said. Hey, I was in an embarrassed mood!

He grinned. "You've got spunk. Well, yeah, I am. War is insane, and it is strange. That's why the people who survive them are called _veterans."_

He laughed at a private joke or something. I didn't find it all that funny.

He walked back to the chariot, and it suddenly morphed into a motorcycle. "Now," he said, putting a helmet on. I swore upon Olympus that for a second it looked like a bronze helm. "You three are off. And if you don't do what you agreed . . ."

He let that threat hang in the air before kicking his bike into zooming across the ground. Soon he was out of sight.

"Well," Porkpie said. "I guess that clears up what we're going to do."

"Yeah, I guess it does."

I turned back towards them. "I guess it's time to see how they are. We know what direction they're going in. So, let's go."

We all launched into the sky. The sun was on the brink of beginning to set. _Good,_ I thought. _It's better to travel at night._

And so we were three pegasi soaring through the sky, heading to the city that had the entrance to the Underworld. The land of the dead.

A place we nearly all went to on many occasions since that night.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 5 in the bag! Here we come Chapter 6!**

**Now, I'm going to be a bit of a spoiler and say that Blackjack provides a small amount of help with Medusa. Are there any ideas for the name of the chapter?**

**Thanks everyone!**

**Owl**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yes! Hello again, people! I'm sorry I made you wait, so, here it is!**

**And, to answer your question, I don't think Nyx is a primordial entity type, because I looked her up and it said nothing. And if she is primordial, I'm sorry, but she needs to not be in this! **

**Thank you, LazySundayGirl for all your reviews!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do NOT own PJO or HoO, sorry I keep forgetting to write these!**

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**_Chapter 6: We Get to Meet a . . . Something with Two Heads and Watch Boss Take a Tumble_**

[Boss, just because you made it through a chapter with no comments doesn't mean that you should start now. . . . Okay, congratulations on surviving it. And yes, you see? He agrees that Ares is a— _something_ . . .]

We found the exploded bus not far from the end of the tunnel. We figured that it must've just made it out. From there we heard really, really bad reed pipe playing. I mean, good playing is when you hear it for a good reason, right? Well . . . when you hear it for a _bad _reason . . . let's just say you'll wish you were tone-deaf.

We followed the sound, and soon we saw three figures walking along through the trees. Two of them were obviously not enjoying that satyr play his pipes, and eventually the satyr seemed to realise this, because he put them away. The two half-bloods looked very much relieved.

We followed them until the sun was just beginning to disappear. We could see these bright, neon lights ahead, along with a road. The kids saw that, too, and headed to it. As we skimmed over it, I could make out _Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. _I know, a Pegasus reading English? But hey, we _can _read, okay? Anyway, the three kids headed to it. All I could say was that I had a bad, bad feeling about it.

We landed after the kids went inside. They were talking to this woman dressed in black, with a veil of black lacy stuff covering her face and mesh over her eyes. The only part of her that we could see were her hands, and I was having the same idea as boss then. [Ta-da! We agree on something!]

She led them away, and I swore she looked at us. Three annoying pegasi that were following—quite frankly, _stalking_—these three kids until they got to the Underworld. Gee, what a great reputation to have. As if. Anyway, as she looked back, we stood there, determined to figure something out.

Unfortunately, the thing seemed to figure _us _out.

We stood there for ages, before the kids came out. We scooted off. I was pressing my ear to the wall when I locked eyes with a stone statue. It seemed to be freaked out; its eyes wide open in terror, as it was still standing in a cute pose. That did _not _make sense.

"Yo, Jack, do you think . . . ?" Porkpie began, but Guido started shaking. "Dude, that statue is just creepy," he said. I looked at all of the statues. All of them were life-size, I've seen my share of dwarves and gnomes, and they _were _that size. They all had something wrong with the face. I swallowed, suddenly understanding.

_"Auntie M," _I said. They all nodded. Just as we saw the kids begin to run for it.

We zoomed off before they could see us. I was about to do something I was really good at—something stupid—but for a moment I saw a certain goddess of the night in front of me, in mid-air. She lifted a finger to her lips. _No, wait, _was the obvious think I got from it. Then she began to glow in black light—yeah, I know, _how can you glow in black light? _Well, gods pull it off—and she was gone. I swore that the night was darker after that.

Below us, I could see Percy, and Annabeth, but not the satyr. I could hear a faint buzzing noise, though. Percy was on the ground, slightly dazed I guess. Annabeth I'd seen only for a second, and then she vanished. I really hated that cap. [Another agreement, oh my gods, I guess today is odd . . .]

Percy was on his side, and he was looking at Medusa's talons. I could tell he wanted to look higher, but Annabeth yelled, _"No! Don't!" _Percy stopped. Hey! Message received! [Ow!]

I could see the back of Medusa's head. Writhing striped snakes were hissing. Some looked in my direction. I guess I should mention that all monsters can communicate with us pegasi. It really sucks.

_Dear, oh dear, a Pegasus, _said Medusa's hair, then the voice changed to Medusa's. Imaging having that _in your head! _

_Now, dear Night Pegasus, you can't want to hurt an old woman, would you?_

_Listen, lady, you get that kid, and you'll be sitting at the bottom of Tartarus for three millennia._

_Where are you manners? Just for that . . . _her voice didn't sound like most monsters'. It was more humanoid to be monster, but still, looking at her snake hair, I could believe it.

"Run!_" _yelled the satyr, suddenly zooming in wearing flying converses. He was swinging a huge branch, but it was really obvious that he'd need help if was going to do anything.

"I'm going in, guys," I said as I dove down. I heard Medusa speaking to Percy. "Such a pity to destroy such a handsome young face," she said. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up." She was bending down. I saw Percy look over at a gazing ball thingy that people put in their front yards—yes, causing roadblocks you see these things—and I could tell he was horrified by the image of her hair in it. What he missed was my huge black shape diving down. So single-minded. [Ouch! Stop with that!]

I saw goat-boy coming in. He was still swinging the stick blindly, so I needed to help him. I dove low, and gave him enough air against his shoes to correct course. The good thing: it worked, and he was going straight to her head.

The bad thing: I saw Medusa's face straight on. The thing about that is, pegasi aren't people, so we can survive it, but that doesn't mean that we don't get the shock of it. I'll try and describe it so that you don't turn to stone—yeah, that's just how bad it is.

She had brown and red striped snakes as her hair, and her skin went slightly scaly at the hairline—or maybe snakeline—she had curved fangs in her mouth, bronze fangs, and small bronze tusks that stuck out slightly from the corners of her mouth. Her cheeks were hollow and pale, and her eyes were reptilian with slitted pupils. They were green, except red kept flashing through them like the effect that you get when you drop ink on water. The eyes glowed with hate. She had large liver-spots around her jaw, and a long, thick white scar ran across her neck.

Through all that, I'd missed the fact she's had a lovely conversation with Percy. I did however hear the satisfying _thwack _of the satyr hitting his mark. Good times. Medusa roared with rage, her reptilian eyes glowed. "You miserable satyr!" grabbed up with her long talons, reaching for the branch as goat-boy came down for another go. He would've failed miserably, and probably died, but I managed to shove him out of the way and give Medusa a good kick. I mean, how can you get a _ker-whack! _from a Satyr with a branch?

The guy came around for another pass, and Annabeth got Percy out of there. I lowered myself down to the pavement. _You wouldn't do anything, Night Pegasus?_

_Uh, lady, I told you before, and I am _not _in a mood to tell you again, so yes, I would do something. You should've stayed in Tartarus, Snake Hair._

She hissed. _You are too arrogant for your own good. I—_

Another hit. (The crowd goes wild!)

I shot up before she could do anything, and met a terrified response from my buds in the air. "Can we go back to camp now?" Guido asked.

"Sorry, Guides," I said. "We have to stick around until they make it to Los Angeles."

He gulped. I was watching the scene below me.

Goat-boy had finally been thrown by an angry gorgon, and Percy was slowly reversing towards her holding a sphere in his hand and his sword in the other. Medusa hadn't realised what he was doing, but as soon as goat-boy hit the ground, he spun around; his eyes still locked on the sphere, and yelled, "Hey!"

The gorgon let the guy approach. Ten metres . . . five metres . . . it was like a movie for us up there, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. He was so close to her now.

"You wouldn't harm and old woman, Percy," she purred, tilting her head ever so slightly, but then her eyes narrowed. "I know you wouldn't."

"Percy, don't listen to her," moaned goat-boy.

Medusa smiled evilly, "Too late," she said, and lunged.

It happened too fast for us to see. Percy swung around with his blade and there was a gross _hiss, _and her body crumbled to dust, whereas her severed head hit the ground. That is a gross sight, never in your life do you want to see that.

A green pool of blood began to form around the head, and Annabeth dropped Medusa's veil over it. When it was safe to look at, she said, "Are you okay?"

Percy nodded, "Yeah," Even though he looked like throwing up his food. I couldn't really hear after that, because we landed on the roof and waited for them to come out after they took Medusa's head inside.

When they came out they just kept going. They didn't even talk. Thy stopped in a clearing a hundred metres or so from the road out the front of the Garden Gnome Emporium. The place looked pretty bad, and the guys realised that.

We did, too, so we went and found a nicer place that was hardly twenty metres from their place. They're really stupid sometimes. [Ow! Look, we've been over this! No punching, hitting, rude comments— no! That's not a reason! Hey, you're the stupid kids that chose to sleep in that disgusting place. Take that.]

We all fell asleep pretty quickly, and we woke up early. I could hear something really faint, soft tapping. I looked up and saw a pink smudge in the trees. "Hey, Guido, check it out."

He looked up, and saw what I was looking at. "No way, it's a poodle. Porkpie, your turn."

We all looked at Porkpie, and he looked at the poodle. "Hey there, little guy. Come on over, I think we can get you to someone that can help you."

Porkpie had a knack with smaller animals, just like Guido did teaching riders, and I did doing stupid things. The poodle—we found out its name was Gladiola—was lost, and so we figured we'd give our half immortal friends a hand and told the pink guy to walk forward in that direction until he found some kids, and please could it not mention us.

I don't know if it kept its promise, because it trotted off, and that was last we ever heard of it. The guys then got up and handed Gladiola back to his owners, where they collected the money, and then bought train tickets. I like trains; you can always fit in the last compartment at the end and no one ever comes near you.

* * *

We were standing in the last compartment, looking out of the window. Eventually I got bored and went for a fly. My buds just crashed on the ground. Meh.

I was flying around like the idiot I can be, when I saw the shape of a huge lion in the forest. I looked into the cabin on the train and found myself eye-to-eye with Percy. He seemed to fixed on the animal in the trees to notice me. Thank the gods.

I went back to our carriage at the end after that.

The train stopped at St Louis after a while, and the guys decided to go sight-seeing. We all went after them, of course.

They went straight to the St Louis Arch. Quite frankly, I couldn't care less, but from the conversation we heard from our little friends below us, it was because Annabeth was an architecture-freak and wanted to see the so-called _arch _that looked like a shopping bag handle. Ironic that a demigod could have the same idea as me. [Okay, at least you didn't—I stand corrected. Take that!]

The kiddos below us got into the elevator with some woman in this huge, floppy denim hat and this Chihuahua that just looked plain evil. And then I _knew _it was evil when the lady looked up at me with reptilian eyes. After seeing Medusa's face, that brought back some nasty memories.

She hissed—_another _bad memory. _Well, Tartarus' most famous pegasi, _she said. _Don't try your luck here. We are finally allowed to do this. Lord Zeus had a chance to stop us, but he chose not to, _she beamed. _Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood._

I staggered back. "Did you . . . ?" I looked at my buds, and they nodded, "Echidna."

Now, being the right idiot I am, I decided to follow the kids and everyone up, and then the rest of the gang followed me up. We zoomed around for a bit, dazzling the tourists, and then we heard a yell.

We zoomed back and saw the Chihuahua jumping up and down, and Percy was just standing there as he waited calmly for the elevator to come back up. "Now, now, sonny," Echidna said. "DO you really think now is a good time? We have all these people here?"

The Chihuahua kept barking, and, luckily for us, we got to hear the translation. _Yes! He's the Sea's son! He deserves to be tested! We have tested the best; he should live up to the standard of his name!_

Kelp for Brains was baking up. His face looked as pale as Pegasus's wings.

"Well, son, if you insist."

"Um . . . did you just call that Chihuahua your _son?_"

"_Chimera, _dear," Echidna corrected. "Not a Chihuahua, it's an easy mistake to make."

We were hovering in front of the windows. Why the heck do mortals have to have windows? I rammed myself into one. No luck.

Echidna rolled up her sleeves. The Chimera started barking, and with each bark it grew, and became even worse than it already was. Soon it was the size of a Great Dane. Its barks became deeper, and soon its coat began to change to a more golden-brown. The ruff of its neck became thicker, and it started to grow dirty. Soon the dog was the size of the lion, with goat legs and a serpent tail. Its face changed to a bloody maw of a lion. Saliva dripped off its lips, and it roared again, this time at Percy.

The little boy behind him screamed. His parents pulled him back, but it had caught the attention of the Chimera. It looked at them and growled, before looking back at Percy. The monster was now so tall that its back rubbed against the roof of the monument.

The Rhinestone collar that hung around its neck was still there, but it looked about ten times bigger. Percy was shaking. His hands slowly moved to his pocket, but he knew that as soon as he made a move, the monster would lunge at him. He was barely three metres away.

Echidna crackled. "Be honoured, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test one of his heroes with one of my brood, for I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!" _Did she just reuse that line? _I thought.

A look of blankness crossed Percy's terrified face. All he managed to say was, "Isn't that a type of Anteater?"

Despite the fact he could've died, or that there was a monster right there, us three laughed so hard we fell. We only just managed to stay in the air. If you'd looked over, you'd have seen three pegasi that couldn't stop laughing. I was basically leaning over Porkpie for support, that's how much we were laughing. Looking back on it, it wasn't really that funny.

Echidna howled, "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

Now, at that moment, you'd expect the Chimera to say something blood-thirsty or evil, but really, what it actually said was _yay. _That wasn't as funny as you'd think.

AS it lunged at Percy, he jumped aside and ended up next to the family and park ranger. They were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency doors. Percy gulped and ran across to the other side of the observation deck, where he yelled, "Hey Chihuahua!"

The monster spun around so fast we couldn't see anything of it but a blur. _Oh, he dares to offend me! I am the CHIMERA! _It opened its mouth, and shot a blast of white-hot flames at Percy, who just managed to jump through them. The force of it melted a hole in the floor and smashed open a window. We took our chance.

We soared through the hole, and I said to my buds, "look after the mortals," whereas I went to help my dear friend Kelp Head. [Yeah, Thalia's name rubbed off on me—_no, _it wouldn't work if I called you boss now, would it? Wait until that bit!]

Percy had managed to get his sword out, and he slashed at the monsters neck.

And he made his mistake right there. The blade bounced right off, and the tail shot out and sunk its fangs into the guy's calf. Ouch, was what I was thinking. His sword fell from his hand. The serpent head wouldn't have let go if I hadn't kicked it and sent it flying.

It backed up. Echidna crackled maliciously. "They don't make heroes the way they used to, eh, son?"

The Chimera advanced again on Percy. I could only stand there. _JUMP! _I was telling him. Poseidon would protect him. The Chimera seemed to be going slowly and gloating, now that the kid was beaten.

Percy backed up against the hole. He looked pretty much scared out of his wits. Death is pretty scary, isn't it? But he looked pretty sad too, like he'd failed. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"If you are the Son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed. "You do not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me the water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

My head flicked from Percy to the Chimera, to Echidna. I began to take a step back. I didn't know if the kid had realised I was there yet. The Chimera's mouth began to glow, heating up for another blast.

"You have no faith," Echidna said. I had no idea of she was talking to Percy or me. "You trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

Percy seemed to comprehend what she was saying. He glanced down at the river far below. He looked pretty ashamed of himself, really. He looked at the water like it was his last resort and it probably wouldn't work.

"Die, faithless one," Echidna hissed.

Percy muttered something I couldn't hear, and he jumped.

Now that the kid was gone, the Chimera turned on me. "Ooh, what have we here? My, it's a little Pegasus; one that does possess the Blessing of Nyx? Long has it been since I've seen that. Sonny, have a little snack."

The Chimera crouched. It seemed to know when to stop growing. It growled, its black lips beginning to glow like lava. I pressed my wings in close. It grinned. _Time to be sent to the Underworld, petty Night Pegasus, _it said. I did the rational thing: I ran straight into it.

I ran so fast that when I kicked it in the face the force sent me back flipping backwards. It sent the Chimera through the window, but it held on and crawled back in, hissing and sending a column of fire at me. I dodged at the last moment, and so the poor wall that had copped quite a beating before got an even larger hole in it.

I wasn't really sure what the mortals were seeing—fancy being saved by a horse. It growled at me, revealing its huge fangs. "Ouch," I muttered. It sneered, _petty little pony. You will pay for that! _It lunged at me, but I leapt away.

If it was possible for the day to get any worse, it did. I decided to take a chance and dove through the hole. The Chimera followed me. As I looked back, I saw bronze wings rising from its shoulders. Man, that's just _unfair! _

It followed me as I dove through the air. I had some crazy idea and was hoping it would work. On the other side of the arch I could see a McDonalds, and on my side it was kind of deserted. Thank the gods for that.

I pressed my wings in as close as they would go, and looked back at the Chimera. It was grinning with its bloody maw as its filthy, blood-clad mane blew off its face. Its goat body glistened with gore.

_You cannot win, pony, _it said. It gained on me. I prayed to Zeus that this would hold off—and Poseidon, too.

I was basically ten metres away from the water. The monster was snapping at my tail. _Time to say hello to the Underworld! _It said, opening its maw.

"No thanks!" I yelled, and opened out my wings ever so slightly so that I shot upwards. The Chimera wasn't such a handy flyer. It managed to roll onto its back mid-air, but as it hit the water a huge explosion of golden dust blew outwards like a huge party-popper.

I soared back up, and watched as the police officers broke down the emergency door and the family basically hugged the officer to death. Echidna waved at me from the hole and plunged straight down, but as she fell black misty stuff enveloped her like a flame, and soon she disappeared.

I was tackled by Guido and Porkpie. "Wow, Jack! Where the heck did you learn that!"

"Hey, it wasn't—" _my first time, _I nearly said, but I caught myself. Why? I have no idea, but I did.

"It wasn't a smart thing, was it? Pretty stupid, so I was bound to be good at it!"

We found Annabeth and goat-boy walking around on the pavement. Then I saw Percy climb out of the river. I don't know how I chose to look, but I just sort of felt a breeze, a salty sea breeze that told me to look down, and sure enough there he was!

We flew back to the station just as we heard a reporter say, "Yes, the main suspect is Percy Jackson, who was seen apparently making violent motions."

_Violent Motions? _What the heck is wrong with mortals?

As I landed in the carriage, I sighed and lay down. "Well, fighting monsters isn't pleasant."

"Go figure," said Guido, who then laughed. I sighed again, _go figure _was something his favourite rider said.

"Guido, you are the single-most odd Pegasus I have ever met," Porkpie said.

I looked out of the window. Through it I could see reporters down near the Arch. I could remember the huge explosion of the Chimera hitting the water. I thought of how Percy had just climbed out of the river, fine, and the way he'd looked so ashamed, about to jump from the arch.

That is what I call a hero—right after me.

[OW!]

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**There you are, people! Now, before I go on, I need to ask you people, was that too gross? I mean, the Medusa scene.**

**Anyways, another question I have is: should I put all the books in the series of PJO into one series? Or should I do a story a book? Please tell me! I don't mind if you're anonymous!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh my gods, I am so sorry! I've left you in the dark for so long . . . and now I only have this measly chapter. But I shall post another by Wednesday! It's just I-have-a-freaking-instrumental-exam-and-my-teacher-will-kill-me, and I lost some inspiration! So, I had to sit down and look at the drawing board. Read some books, drew some pictures, listened to some music-I'm one of the few people that tend to draw their ideas and get them from music.**

**So, I'm so sorry! And I swear upon the River Styx that I shall work harder! I just got that all-clear-and-I-won't-fail-as-bad-as-I-thought-I-would from my music teacher, so I can spend some more time on this!**

**I have found inspiration! Need not fear! And I have figured out a plan for this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Blackjack or anything except the spoiler, which is for Secrets by Cat, so technically I own that. And of course I own Opal. Yes, that is the spoiler!**

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**_Chapter 7: We Meet Lord Smug-Head All Over Again_**

_I was hanging upside down. Ropes were lashed around my hooves and a long leather belt was around my wings. I could see I was in a cavern. Below me the ground faded to a clack void, but I could see huge, sharp rock spires around me. A deep, ear-splitting voice echoed through the cavern I was in, sending daggers to my ears._

Hello, little Night Pegasus, _it said. _

_I cringed, "I don't know who you are, but I want to go!" _

_The voice seemed to find this entertaining. _Oh, you're free to _want _to go, but that doesn't mean that I will let you, Pegasus of the Night.

_Why is it that every monster, or god or whatever I met called me a Night Pegasus? I didn't know. All I knew was that I wanted out. The Voice mused at this. _You can help me, you know, and that will get you out of here.

_Help them? Who were they? They weren't working for Olympus, I knew that, but I desperately wanted to get out of the dark. I wanted to use my wings. "Who are you? And what do you want?"_

_The voice's laughter resonated throughout the cavern. _I need to you to be my steed, carry the leader of the army to victory. Or . . . if you refuse, I can make sure that you lose so much, you know. So, choose.

_"No! I choose no!" _

Dear me, then I shall have to show you what you can lose . . .

_I could see images swirling in the cavern, and I felt them rise to me. I closed my eyes and ground my teeth. It was like I was being submerged in water. When I opened my eyes, I was in my stall, in the stable, at camp. _

_There was a guy sitting on the bench reading something on those electronic readers. He must've been and Aphrodite kid, because he looked like he had about a litre of gel in his hair and his clothes were so clean it wasn't funny. Then another guy came in. _

_"Hey, Mark," he said. The guy reading—Mark—looked up, "Oh, hey Sam. I'm reading."_

_"Yeah, I figured," Sam replied. "Anyway, what _are _you reading?"_

_"A fanfiction," Mark said back, barely looking up from his—was it called an e-reader?_

_"On what?"_

_"Spectacular Spiderman."_

_"Oh yeah? I read a really good one the other day. It was where Spidey kept on getting the Sinister Six In jail for robbery. You know what they were stealing? Styrofoam pellets. Spidey also, had is, ah, _secret _discovered by three certain girls, but then, they had saved his life when they took off his mask. Then Spiderman then realised that all the Sinister Six _wanted _to get into jail. But, before he could figure it out, there was this huge escape, and every single one of the inmates escaped, all working for a certain . . . uh . . . something, I can't remember that bit . . . has a funny name . . ."_

_"Really? Can't be that bad. What's it called?"_

_"I think it's like Secrets or something . . ."_

_"Huh."_

_Then a huge shadow walked through the door. I saw Opal walk in with Silena on her back. I watched as she carefully folded away her gold and chocolate wings and toss her mane. She looked at me, and I saw the golden sparkle in her eye as she looked at me. She winked._

_Then it all contorted and I was hanging in the cavern again. _I can make sure that you lose _all _of that, especially that so-called _hero _that your life will forever be entwined with.

_"I don't care! Leave me alone!"_

_It laughed. _So amusing . . . and their lives are so short, and yet so painful . . .

_And then I woke up._

I got to my feet groggily as the train lurched to a stop. I shook the pain of the dream I'd just had out of my head. Next to me Porkpie stood up. We tried to get Guido up, but the Pegasus just kept sleeping. So we decided to get him up the harder way.

It took a while to get him out of the carriage. I mean, pushing a horse is a big deal. The bad thing was that he woke up just as we pushed him off the edge of the carriage. Then we ran for our lives. Rule number 1 about Guido: never, ever, ever, wake him up.

That's probably why we did it, in the end.

So, as me and Porks ran for it, being chased by Guido, we saw the kids get off the train. We were in Denver. They couldn't go any further. Well, that sucked. We could've given them a ride, but Ares-butt-for-brains—[Oh, that can't be good. Stop laughing! Hey, I don't do that when you offend the gods. Yeah, 'cause you've already done it too much!]

So, we followed the kiddos—Guido had left us alive (thank the gods)—and they went to a car wash of all places. Us pegasi aren't really the IM'ing type, so when Annabeth threw a drachma into the rainbow that had formed from the spray, we expected in to plummet right through and hit the concrete.

We didn't, in all honesty expect it to go straight through and disappear like the rainbow had become a metal-eater. Then Annabeth said, "O Goddess of the Rainbow, Accept my Offering."

The rainbow began to swirl like the mist was forming a liquid which looked like it was being pulled down a drain, but it never went anywhere.

"Half-Blood Hill," she said politely.

The colours merged and began to form a picture. It was that kid with the scar. Luke.

He looked genuinely surprised and happy to see them, but us pegasi know better than to fall for that. In his blue eyes there was a slight cloudiness. Most people ignore that, but horses in general have bigger eyes, so we see eyes better, and what can be in them, so when you scale the eye down, you can see it anyway. Behind the colours of the irises, you can see them darkening, like the thoughts their having are so bad that it's causing that.

They talk. Then some guy starts playing music, and Annabeth gets goat-boy and goes and yells at the guy doing it, leaving the message with Percy. Annabeth _definitely _has a crush on that guy. And I can't tell her. The only person I have a _chance _at telling would be Percy, because his dad was the creator of horses, which meant that Zeus was just adding his own touch to give us wings. Gods are so unoriginal!

They talked, and then Annabeth got the guy turns off the music, and the connection times out. She came back, hauling Grover with her—yes, Goat-Boy has a name, so shocking, I know—and then they left.

We followed them as they went to this burger place. The waitress walked over with her notepad, and asked them what they wanted, and they could only stare up at her. No money, no nothing, basically.

She was about to say something, but then a guy rocked up on this huge Harley Davidson. A guy we'd had one too many encounters with. Lord Ares the smug-head.

[I wish he'd stop getting offended; we all know that he's an idiot—dude, that was _un-called for!]_

* * *

**Yes! Look, I'm sorry, and if I ever met you in public I would beg for your forgiveness if you're disappointed in this.**

**Okay, my plan is t do the Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters in this, then the next two in one, and then the Last Olympian in it's own. **

**Would you guys liked your names mentioned in my A/Ns? **

**Until then, please hang in there! School sucks . . .**

**Your hopeful and idiotic author,**

**Owl.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! Yes, I finally managed to get something out on time!**

**I know, this is probably annoying, because this chapter's so short . . .**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

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**_Chapter 8: We Watch the Kiddos Get Embarrassed_**

We heard them talking. Ares bought them some food with drachmas, which the waitress attempted to say they wouldn't accept but the barbaric idiot took out his knife and started cleaning his nails so she just took the money and brought out the food.

He negotiated with them, really. He offered them a ride to Las Vegas, and they would have to go and get his shield from where he'd left it after running—no, _leaving—_a date with his girlfriend, the goddess of love, which some of us pegasi have enough sense to stay away from—and then they agreed, seeing as they then got a ride to Vegas and that was a heck of a lot closer to Los Angeles than Denver was.

So, there we were following the kids as they went to some abandoned water park, while Lord Smug sat back on the bench at the Burger House. The good thing about him was that he seemed to create hot winds that are really good for flying on.

Anyways, we followed them to this derelict place with some sign where the letters had all fallen off. Quite frankly, I couldn't be bothered to read anything about the place. It was too eerie for my liking.

What the kids didn't realise was that, the place seemed closed down, and yet all the merchandise was still in the store. I mean, who does that? Who leaves their merchandise in the store? This place wasn't closed down from bankruptcy, but something else. I still don't know what, but I was thinking that it wasn't a good reason.

After they'd all bunged on some clean clothes, they headed around, looking for wherever Ares's shield could be. Eventually they found it—a place called _The Tunnel of Love, _or something like that. I wasn't paying attention, and it seemed that neither were Porks or Guido.

It was like this huge bowl, the insides of which were covered in mirrors. I was having the same thoughts Percy was: this is exactly the place that Ares would go. [No; me thinking like you is _not _a good thing.]

While they were talking, we watched Annabeth look at one of the cupid statues, and saw the tell-tale symbol. How the heck she managed to ignore the plain clue that _eta _was H, I shall never know. Daughter of Wisdom could do with some common sense.

We watched them go down—an Annabeth the colour of Ares's Harley and Percy just looking like he was doing it _with _her, or not at all, because seriously, that's what his face looked like. [Geez, what's your problem?!]

There they were. Going down to the boat that had Ares's shield in it and one of Aphrodite's many,_ many _scarfs. As soon as he reached for the shield, in the tiny golden thread brushed his finger, and a collective thought went through us three. _You idiot. _

As he tugged it, the trap spun into action: the cupid spun around and aimed their bows at them. Some of the bows open and expanded into video cameras.

Annabeth and Percy ran, but the cupids fired arrows attached to golden threads that hit the wall and then the threads pun, creating a huge net. Grover was flying over them, desperately trying to get them out, and then, yet again Hephaestus becomes the sneaky Smith he is and the cupids compacted, creating tunnels that bronze spider automations crawled out of.

Annabeth screamed and climbed onto the boat, whilst attempting to climb onto Percy to get away. He looked like he was regretting the decision to make her come with him.

_"Broadcasting live to Olympus in ten seconds," _said a statue. Ooh, sneakier and sneakier, Daddy H.

The spiders crawled down, and they began to climb onto the boat. Percy kicked them away while Annabeth kept pointing at them and screaming, "SPIDER!"

Eventually he looked like he had a brainwave, right at the moment the statue said, "_five seconds." _He grabbed the shield and strapped it to his arm. Then dragged Annabeth into the seat next to him and yelled at Grover to get the water going.

Then he just stared at the water pipes. I just acted on impulse and went and hovered next to the lead filming cupid.

Just as goat-boy hit the button, it started filming.

"Hello, dear Olympians!" I said, looking into the camera. Yep, I am a great commentator.

"This is your favourite Pegasus here, just commentating on our little demigod stars!" by now the water had shot from the pipes, and they were swirling around in the pool it was forming in the bowl-shaped ride, still trapped in the net and strapped in, both the same colour as the pink décor.

"Now, our little pair down there, Percy and Annabeth," I said shifting to the other side of the river and gesturing to them with my chin. "Could be Olympus's next greatest pair. I mean, you _so _should've seen their faces on the way in!"

Guido and Porkpie started laughing behind me. I grinned and kept going just as they surged through into the ride.

". . . and now there they are going past Romeo and Juliet . . . and oh dear, hmm . . . a bt of trouble. The ride's broken! Let's see this!"

We all zoomed towards them, but it seemed that they had it covered. Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm and jumped off at exactly the right moment, sending them catapulting upwards.

Now, many of you—including Percy—believe that it as goat-boy alone that saved your butts, well, I can finally prove you wrong! Because, while he was holding onto you guys, we were holding onto him. Which was really awkward because we weren't meant to let you know that we were there anyway, but hey, you're alive, so don't complain. [Oh gods, can you just _stop?!_]

We let them down and ran off before they could see us—well, _they _did, I hung around because it was basically dark. Yep, that went well.

We followed them back to the Burger House, where they gave Ares his shield, and then he pointed to a truck with letters printed on it that I was just too lazy to figure out, and then he just left. But not before the manager could get a photo of them at the table with Ares. I'd forgotten that they were fugitives to the mortals. Mortals can just be so irritating, can't they? [_Especially _Rachel.]

They climbed into the truck, and we glided in and shoved ourselves into a cage. I know, why the heck would we do that? Well, because Porks thought we should keep the animals company.

And boy, did they need it.

A zebra with gum in its mane, and an antelope that looked like a balloon stand? What kind of a place was this?! But, before we could do anything, the guys came around and shut the door. We were plunged into the dark.

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**Ta-da! Look, sorry about the delay, because the next one will be a while. I have that exam! *shudders***

**Until then, see you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, you all probably hate me for not updating in so long.**

**SORRY!**

**And I completely failed my exam. I screwed up the middle 50 bars ... *laughs sadly***

**Anyway, here we are! And I vow that I shall update soon!**

**Disclaimer: I own no character except those I made up-like Opal.**

* * *

**_Chapter 9: We Hitch a Ride with the Zoo of Many Names that Have No Meaning because it is just Awful_**

The first hour was the worst. The lion paced back and forth in his stinking cage, the zebra was trembling, and the antelope looked like the new stereotype for _Sad, Lonely, Embarrassed and In Pain. _I talked to the zebra for a bit. Every time I said a word, it would shake his mane. I managed to get the guy's name: Alfred. It was kind of a random name, but he said it was better to a have a ridiculous name than to have gum in your mane.

I had to agree with him there.

He said that one of the drivers constantly chewed that gum that was meant to help your teeth, even though the guy had fewer teeth than one of those rotating clown heads that you stick balls down.

Even _he _kept calling me Night Pegasus. I asked him to stop and then he did this bowing thing and said, _of course, Flyer of the Night. _

How annoying can that get, really? [I'm glad we agree.]

I watched Percy stick his sword in and drag out the hamburger meat patty thingy that looked gross from Alfred's and the antelope's cages, before taking out the turnips from the lion, who Alfred said name was Billy. Apparently the antelope's was Twirl, and was petrified of anything that was _yellow. _How that was possible I had no idea, but that wasn't my biggest worry.

Alfred was digging into some turnips that Percy had shoved in for him and Twirl, and Billy was eating the meat thingies. It was quiet for a bit, and then the kiddos started to talk.

Yeah, it was kind of rude to listen to them. But when you're surrounded by flies in the grossest trailer you can think of that smells like two-year-old kitty litter, you try to enjoy yourself.

"Hey," Annabeth said. "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy."

"That's okay." Gee, I was expecting something like, _why the heck did you freak out? Were on live cameras with Blackjack commentating us and you freaked out? It ruined the shots!_

"It's just . . ." she shuddered. "Spiders."

Spiders? Hmm, can't say I thought of that as a valid reason. Mind you, what was our reason for being trapped in this revolting trailer with Guido's butt in my face?

"Because of the Arachne story?" Ooh, he was getting the hang of it! [Look, I am just sick of saying ow, so stope doing that! You criticize yourself too—hey, just because I do it to you doesn't mean you're allowed to do it to me, okay? Geez . . .]

"She got turned into a spider by your mom for challenging her to a weaving contest, right?" he asked. I blew Guido's tail out of my face. "Oi, watch where you put that thing, Guides."

"What?" he mumbled. "Oh . . . okay . . ."

He moved a _fraction _of an inch. I have great friends. [Okay, Guido, that was _not _ a compliment. Hey, that's your tail, for Poseidon's sake! Oi, shut up boss. Yes, I'm allowed to do that! You are _so _not my superior! That was just for the story! Look, just shut it, okay? Okay, I guess I should know better than to think that you'll actually do it. Look, if you keep this up I'll get Annabeth to do it! Yes, now get writing! No! You have not just written all that! Oh ~gnas-+uidsuhf . . .]

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."

Ta-da! Maybe she does have brains. [Oh great, perfect timing, Annabeth. Okay fine, I'll allow it that time, she's your girlfriend. No, I will _not _allow it that time! She is _so _your girlfriend! Ow! What about me and Opal? . . . not telling.]

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said. Yep, one for team sports. "Anyway, it was Grover who did the fancy flying."

No one _ever _credits the pegasi, do they?!

"I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"

Shut it, Goat-Boy.

Thank Zeus and Poseidon both I fell asleep.

Well, that was until I had a dream. I mean, could my day get _any _worse . . . ? I guess I shouldn't have said that.

_I was in a different cavern. It was like I was at the bottom of a chasm. Then I realised: I was. Huge, booming, painful laughter echoed through it, bouncing off the jagged rocky spires around me. A faint reddish glow came from my left, and sharp screams sounded to my right. I had a feeling I knew where I was._

Well, well, well, here we are again, Night Pegasus_._

_I ground my teeth. Not only was that voice physically painful, but it was just so annoying with about a thousand different things calling me a Night Pegasus!_

_"Look, whoever the Hades you are, I have a freaking name you know."_

Very amusing. Have you considered my offer?

_"I gave you the answer! NO!"_

Such a shame . . . she was a pretty filly . . .

_"Don't you _dare_ talk about Opal that way!"_

Oh? I thought she meant nothing to you, seeing as you declined my offer.

_I swallowed. "What do you plan to do with her if I decline?"_

_I could imagine the voice's mouth smiling evilly as it said, _Whatever you think of as the most grotesque way of disposing of someone.

_"You foul, disgusting, evil—"_

Shut your muzzle, raven.

_I shut up. _

If you want to help _her_, you need to help _me. _Accept, and your little Halflings cam complete their quest in vain, or, if I'm in a bad mood, fail anyway, and then, when my army rises, you and you precious filly will be safe.

_I shuffled my wings. They were strapped to my sides by a leather belt. "Give me more time."_

As you wish, Night Pegasus. But know this: even if you accept, if you deliberately do badly, you will feel the punishment one thousand times worse than what it would be if you were to decline.

_"Look, if you don't hold your world you'll wish you'd never been born."_

Oh, I already have. Being defeated by that pathetic son Zeus . . .

_It began to fade, but I managed to see a figure being showered with poisoned laurels, and the voice yelled out sarcastically, _Hail, the conquering hero!

_And I woke up._

* * *

The truck had stopped. I sat up and hit my head on the bars of the cage. "Ow!" I yelled. Then I felt Guido's hoof in my shoulder, telling me to shut up.

I made a 'very funny' look at him but did. I watched as the trailer door was heaved open and the guy came in and dumped some happy meals into the animals' cages. I could see his mouth moving, but for some reason the voice's words kept playing over in my head: _whatever you think for as the most grotesque way possible. . . . Such a pretty filly . . . Raven . . .I thought she meant nothing to you as you declined my offer . . . whatever the you think of as the . . ._

Is shook my head, it was like it was coming from the other end of a twisting cave, dim and a thousand miles away, yet all the vehemence and bitterness came through the words. They sounded exactly like echoes, except more brittle and I could hear the painful voice repeat it over and over. And they were all about Opal. Opal . . . and _me?_

Suddenly a shiver went through me like an electric shock. I could just sense that being here with the kiddos would make me hear them over and over, like there was a place here that was held in a loophole of time. And in that loophole, I could sense death. I don't know why, I just did. It was just pulling at the base of my neck, making my every feather stand on end.

I looked at my two buds. They had their faces stuck in a permanent look off _gross. _But Porkpie's eyes were letting off the fact that they should take care of the animals.

Annabeth stood up and put her cap on, immediately vanishing. She ran out of the door and banged the trailer. In that moment Percy jumped up and sliced the locks on Alfred's cage, he jumped out and did this bowing thing and said something like, _thank you, Lord._

I mean, yeah, this guy was superior to me, but you don't grovel, do you? So far I was pretty unimpressed with what he'd put us through. One time with Ares is more than enough, thank you very much.

Grover stopped him and then said _the Blessing of the Wild. _I personally don't think it's very affective, but there's no telling a satyr, is there? Sure, it works for some, maybe even Percy—[OW!]—but that doesn't mean I believe it works, okay? Everyone's allowed to be sceptical.

So Alfred charged out of the door, and in that moment while Percy and Grover had their backs turned, Porkpie slipped out of the cage and turned back to us. "I'm not letting these guys out in the desert alone."

"You go, Porks. Just . . . meet us back at camp," I said. I could see him light up. I would've enjoyed that face without the voices pounding my brain like a punching bag.

He galloped out of the trailer after Alfred and then took off. I looked at Guido. "Down to two, huh?"

"Well, at least we still have the guy that gets himself into trouble just for fun."

"Can't go wrong, can you?"

He looked at me like, _seriously? _"Nope. Not much. Just I guess trouble with fillies is pretty bad."

"I do _not _get into trouble with fillies!"

"You freaking do! What the— the kids are getting out. Come on!"

They'd freed Twirl and Billy and they were jumping from the trailer. We ran out after them.

Straight into Las Vegas.

* * *

**There you have it! Chapter 10 done!**

**Now, I'm just bored so, I'm going to pull a Cat.**

**EXTRA SNAZZY BONUS QUESTION!**

**What would you rather happen with Opal?**

**Get with Blackjack?**

**Spontaneously go missing . . . ?**

**Die?**

**Or ... LEAVE HIM?**

**I don't know at the moment, so please tell me!**

**What I have as where this story is going, is this:**

**Three things you must to to have a great character:**

**- have something to love them**

**- have something to connect with them**

**- have something to make you pity them**

**I'm not really that sure about that last one. ANYWAY, until next time, good reading!**

**Owl.**

**Please R & R.**

**Oh, and have any of you seen Kleiner Hai? It's hilarious!**

***Kleiner hai ... doo-doo ... Kleiner hai ... doo-doo ...* **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everybody out there! I am back, and I have posted a reasonable chapter ON TIME! **

**I know, so exciting!**

**What ****_is _****exciting though, is the fact that i got my exam results and I didn't fail! B+!**

**So, here you are, Chapter 10!**

**And thankyou, LazySundayGirl for giving me the best idea ever for this story! And to everyone that reviewed!**

**And to who asked whether this was just the whole TLT in Blackjack's POV, completely wrong! This is Blackjack's story through the PJO books.**

**So, basically its just a bit denser than just his POV.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Jade/Silver Sapphire and the idea of these things**

* * *

**_Chapter 10: The Lotus Let-Down_**

The kids ran for a long time, basically.

Guido and I followed the trio. It was eerily quiet without Porkpie. We were just a duo, not a trio. It was so . . . quiet. Too still. There were only two pairs of wings beating, and it set me on edge.

The voice's words were still bouncing around my head like one of those stupid screen-savers. [Yeah, I know what a freaking screen saver is, okay?] As we flew along the streets of Vegas.

The kids eventually managed to turn down an alley with some random hotel at the end of it.

If you looked closely, you could see the air shimmering around it, like the effect of heat in the distance, the wavering lines that hovered around it.

I looked closer at it and I managed to actually _break through _the Mist surrounding it.

I could see this huge building that reached up into the sky so high it looked higher than Olympus. It was basically a huge black monolith. If you looked closer, tiny things swirled around it, _moving _things.

The first was a dragon-thing. It was that shimmery green-bluey colour. It stopped to snarl at us before flying around it. The thing was, it was only a pattern in the black stone.

The next was this Pegasus. It looked at us longingly, still trapped in flight against the stone, before going back up.

Immediately I didn't like this place. It had _trap _written all over it. I looked at Guido, and he looked as terrified of it as me. I swallowed. "I am not going in there."

"You won't need to," Guido said darkly. I had never—I repeat, _never_—heard him talk like that. I could almost see the hate swelling in his eyes. "Because it's not like we're missing out."

* * *

Guido seemed to suddenly lock himself away, looking at that hotel. It was a casino, actually. Lotus Casino. That name really rang the wrong bell. The warning bell.

We'd been there for two days. No one had gone in or out of that building.

I looked at Guido. He was just staring at that building like it was the reason that his mum had—

I guess I should tell you.

Before Chiron banned quests, before that tree was there, back when I was this knobbly-legged foal and Guido was this . . . _thing. _[You _so _were—don't give me that look!] His mum was the envy of the pegasi, well, nearly. My dad's a complicated story for another time.

His mum was a blue-roan mare with a freakishly silver mane. She could've been the Pegasus-equivalent for Aphrodite, but she wasn't vain enough. She gave others what she had, and she never asked for anything.

She was fast, strong and smart. And she had a rider, this Son of Demeter named Zachary Jones. He had salt-and-pepper hair and the type of eyes that would envy the Stolls, but he was kind—seriously, he gave me heaps of sugar cubes—and he was the best fighter at that time.

He was offered a quest. That I can't remember what, but instead of choosing any other half-bloods, he chose Guido's mum. I can't remember her name, because I always thought of her as Silver Sapphire—sad, isn't it?—and she went with him.

We waited for them.

They never came back.

Hermes showed up once. Just once. He gave Chiron a note, and he gave it to Guido. I never got to read that note, but I never needed to. Guido told me what was on that note.

It said that his mum and Zach had been flying over Las Vegas. Apparently they'd tried to rescue these kids—I can't remember if that was their quest or not—but something happened to take them down. They were gone. Guido was only with his dad, but the guy didn't care for Guido.

When Guido was little, he had a lame wing. So you can see why his dad forgot about him.

I thought about that Pegasus we'd seen as we were looking at the casino. It had looked at us longingly. That one was silver and blue. Mentally even the voices were blown up. Was that . . . ?

I looked at Guido. Beneath that hate . . . I could see sadness. He looked away. "I'm going to sleep," he muttered, and glided down to the ground.

I couldn't shake that idea. I flew towards to the building. I looked for the shape of the Pegasus. Then I saw it. Looking closely in the fading light, I could see the silver mane. I flew towards it, "Silver Sapphire!" I called. It looked at me; that look people give you when they think, _gods, that's so stupid but cute!_

"Is it you?" I asked as I flew alongside her. Her bluey-silver head nodded. _Go; now. _I heard it in my head. I shook it violently. No, Guido's here, we can—

_No, Blackjack. Please, you can't get me out. Besides, even if I did make it out, I'd never live with myself._

"Why? You're the Silver Sapphire!"

She smiled slightly. _My name is Jade, Blackjack, but I always laughed at the way you called me that. No, take Guido and go. After what I have done . . . even he would not forgive me._

"Please don't say that, Sil— Jade," I said. "He's Guido, he can take anything!"

_But can you? How would you like to guard the prisoners of time? How would you like to be the force keeping them from going? Blackjack, I can't go. All I can ask is that you go._

Jade never asked. Why was she asking now?

"Come on, surely you can get out!"

_Maybe, but not now, _she looked down sadly, but her wings were locked in their flight upwards. I realised that this may have been the last thing she'd ever done—run. But why?

"At least you can tell me why you're trapped here," I said softly, hoping she would. It would kill me if I told Guido and had no reason for him.

She sighed, silently, but she did. _It was the quest . . . free the children stuck in the Loophole of Time, but . . . we didn't realise how strong it was. Zachary went in . . . and he didn't come out. I tried to get to him, but I . . . the forces trapped me out. I tried so hard that I broke the seal on this. It locked me in. Then I knew . . . I knew why Chiron said his job could be depressing; because I knew the fate of Zach; the final fate._

I could feel the tears pricking my eyes. "You . . . you trapped yourself? The quest you went on to stop . . . you made it stronger?"

She nodded. _Now go, Blackjack! Take Guido and leave, before . . . before Chronos changes his mind. You must!_

I shook my head. "We're . . . we're here for two demigods and a satyr, we need them, they went in . . . they need to come out."

She looked at me wistfully. _I need to try . . . _she seemed to say more to herself than me. _If they went in, don't expect them to come out, but I can . . . help . . . I can give one a brief glimpse into the memories they're forgetting in there. Then, Blackjack, you must swear upon the River Styx that you will leave and never return!_

I didn't let the tear stop. I was crying, and I wasn't going to stop. This was the mare that had been my mother while my own was away, busy with all the fuss about Underworld Magic. I nodded. She looked like she was crying too.

* * *

It had been three more days. I needed to tell Guido, but I could never do it. I knew that if I told him he'd refuse to go. I couldn't afford that.

So I kept my mouth shut. Three days I hadn't said a word about it.

* * *

We'd been here for ten days altogether now. The weather was so bad we could barely open our wings. Then I saw the kids come out of the casino. I nudged Guido and he just nodded.

We followed them as they got into a cab. We fought the wind and watched the car as it sped along the highway.

When Vegas and the casino were far behind us, I looked at Guido.

"Guido," I said gently. "Your mum isn't dead."

He looked at me first with utter bewilderment, then wonder, then happiness, and then anger.

Of them all, I was expecting the anger.

"She's alive? And you didn't tell me? What kind of a friend are you, Blackjack?" he yelled so loud I was certain Cerberus in the Underworld could hear.

"Guido, I—"

"She's alive, my mother is alive and you didn't open your mouth for a split second with the thought of telling me!"

"Guido, your mum's not dead, but she certainly isn't alive!"

I was kind of expecting what he did next. He kicked me. Both hooves. Full force.

I was sent catapulting towards the ground. He was so angry he was glowing—bad thing about white pegasi—and I could imagine steam coming from his nostrils.

"Not alive but not dead? You expect me to believe that? Why didn't you tell me, raven?"

I knew he was mad. He never _dreamed _of calling me raven.

"You remember that Pegasus we saw on the casino building? That was her, she was trapped there on her—"

He kicked me again.

I actually hit the ground that time. Ouch, that hurt.

"I'm going back," was all he said, flying back to where we'd come from.

"Guido, no! She told me to get you out of there!"

"You should've let me tell her I was okay, Blackjack," he said, with hurt in his voice. I went after him, but he'd put my wing out with that kick. I wasn't flying right.

"Guido, please! You don't—"

"Blackjack, for once, shut up!"

And he was gone. It wasn't right. I was alone. I couldn't be alone! Not since . . . no! I _just _couldn't be!

"FINE!" I yelled. "Go! Leave! I still have Porkpie!"

But I didn't. I was completely alone.

I looked back at the cab. Speeding along the highway. _Maybe I still have Percy, _I thought. Then I mentally kicked myself. That did sound really wrong, and he didn't even know I existed. He killed the Minotaur with my help and _no one _knew that. How could he know I existed?

I didn't care. I refused to be alone again.

I followed the cab.

* * *

**Ta-da! I have done Chapter 10! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**For some random question, who would you like to be a child of? Which god?**

**(Minor gods included)**

**Please R&R and be patient for the next chapter - school just sucks, people.**

**Owl.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the short chapter, people, but I had to end it there.**

**Thank you LazySundayGirl for all the reviews and here is your special mention!**

**If you think Blackjack's too depressed for normal, he's kinda meant to be.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's and the words that I write on the page**

**Was that too formal? Meh, I don't care, really.**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

**_Chapter 11: Pegasi don't like Waterbeds for a Reason, Thank you!_**

I'd followed the speeding cab a long way—all the way to Los Angeles. They were so close to the Underworld now the smell of death and decay was driving me mental.

As soon as they paid the driver, they got out, and Percy—the genius he is—walked straight into the water that looked basically like he was committing suicide. Quite frankly, if it made me life easier I'd be doing it, too. [Geez, boss, can you just lay off it?]

Anyway, as I zoomed around through boredom and the unbearably silence of just me flying alone and the absence of Porkpie's comments and Guido's—

I tried not to think about him. He'd gone back, and I was alone. I lost my two best friends in Vegas. I guess it was true what those mortals said: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

My friends left me in Vegas. I was alone.

Being alone drove me mad. It caused old, painful memories to surface. Ones of me when I was little. With no mother around and a father that was kind of . . . _blocked off._

I had no friends. Huh, not like I was allowed any!

But that's a long story that I don't want to talk about now. I tried to stay positive. I could just let these guys get to the Underworld, and then I could head home: back to my parents, back to camp, back to Opal.

Back to that freaking voice's offer.

If I declined, he'd get my friends and family—everything I cherished. If I accepted, I lost them all at my own accord. I couldn't do either! I hated Kronos and all his . . . evil minions!

I sighed and landed. I was cornered. If I chose to accept, yes, they would all live, but how could I come back, eh? How could I say, _oh, I just helped the army that obliterated Olympus! _or something like that? I knew it was after Olympus; they always were.

I could sense the day getting darker. I saw Percy climb out of the water. I sighed and walked over; carrying my head low like every thought in it was weighing it down.

They jumped in a cab, walked around, I dunno, I lost attention, I just followed them. I got tired of walking, so I glided after them. Arial stunts weren't so good with no one to do it with.

They were walking along the streets when they were ambushed by this lot of kids. Quite frankly, I was just so zoned out to even care. [Hey, I was depressed, okay? How would you like to be alone following a bunch of kids that are only good at getting themselves killed? Boss, tell your girlfriend to stop taking sides! Oh, she _so _is! Look, we've had this conversation before. No, I won't tell you. Tell you what, you ask? Wait and see, Kelp Head. _HEY!]_

Percy panicked—[You so did]—and pulled out his sword. I wasn't sure really what they were seeing as it, but they were scared. How strange, a mortal scared.

Unfortunately, this mortal seemed to be a bit too much of an idiot to be scared, so he waltzed up and took out this ridiculously tiny knife. I started laughing. Of course, no one could hear me down there, could they? It was night. Mind you, I couldn't really hear what they were saying either . . .

He came at Percy, who acted on impulse and brought down Riptide in a slashing motion. Sadly—[okay, _luckily]—_the magic blade went right through the kid, though it sent him stumbling backwards. As always, the child of Athena had a _cunning, _and _fantastic, _and maybe stretching the very limits of the fabric that bind the force of strategy together.

They ran.

It just so happened that they were to run into a waterbed store.

Blackjack doesn't like waterbeds.

[Yeah, that was random as, but hey, it needed to be said in third person. I mean, I really, really hate . . . _waterbeds._]

The kids ran right past the little shop and I couldn't help but to make zooming sound effects as they went right past.

"Step one of getting yourself killed," I muttered to myself. "Listen to a filly you have a crush on and follow some kids that are probably going to die," I landed on the roof of the shop.

"Step two," I grumbled. "Find yourself a waterbed shop," I looked around for any possible way in, but found none.

"Step three: ensure that it is strongly dangerous and that the only salesman in there is a psychotic monster that obsessed with ropes and killing demigods. Remember that these demigods _must _be very potent."

I started putting voices on as I mumbled. It just got stupider and stupider as I went along.

"Step four," I managed to shove my head into a loose pile of bricks. How I did that I will never know but when I pulled out my head I had a pretty good idea for step four: "make sure you harm yourself aimlessly looking for something you know isn't there."

"Step five," I soared of the building and landed, looking through the windows. "Make sure you excel at being an idiot, irrational thinking, impatience and many other things."

I couldn't break the door down, besides, Crusty was enjoying himself. I'm not mean enough to end joy, and I? [OW!]

I walked around the side and came across some thrown out deliveries from some pranksters from Tartarus or something. They kept sending the guy 'Get Well' cards with the Get Well crossed out and written over in pen saying, "Get Stretched", to be honest, that just sounded wrong.

"Step six," I looked through the side door. "Make sure that you see all signs that the monster gets really irritated with some people."

I poked around and then gave up. Like he would end up doing what he wanted. Crusty was killed last _for a reason. _

"Step seven," I muttered watching them come out of the shop, with Annabeth and Grover walking like they'd just been stretched—which was very likely. "Make sure that you keep making up these ridiculous steps until you realise you're an idiot and that you should stop—which of course you won't."

I followed them in the air as they ran. Then, as they did, I realised something: they were in LA, and the entrance to the Underworld was basically right there.

It was. They went inside. I was left outside. Deserted by my last friends.

"Step eight," I said, depressed as I let my wings hang low until they fell open and sat on the cold ground. "Make sure you end up alone. You're easier to cut out of the living world. Thank you for completing the eight steps to getting yourself killed. Be sure to try the 'lose your friends'."

I landed and stood outside the door. Even though the stench of death was driving me nuts, I just stood there.

That was until the reddish, fiery light illuminated the space before me.

Laughter split the night.

* * *

**Ta-da! Cliffhanger! (NOOOOO!)**

**I should update soon, so yeah. School camp's coming up, but I should be able to squeeze in a chapter tomorrow.**

**Yes, the bit where Blackjack said he didn't like waterbeds was random, but when I don't like things that badly I saw it in third person, so you can see where it came from.**

**The next chapter is where it's all gonna tie up and go into the SoM. Yeah, this is the first two, and then its TTC, and TBL. Then TLO gets its own. The climax!**

**How sad is that? I have it all planned out.**

**The MoA's out in 29 days . . . *jumps for joy* yay!**

**Cat:**** Owl, you're making yourself look like a special child**

**Owl:**** But I am! My art teacher said so!**

**Cat: ****I mean mentally special**

**Owl: *****shrugs* but the MoA's out in 4 weeks and 1 day! Percabeth!**

**Cat: ****for some strange, bizarre reason, Owl, that doesn't surprise me, but the fact that you're randomly jumping around like you did in your English class and yelling out Percabeth I'm assuming that the wait as really got to your head.**

**Owl: *****gives the stupidest look in the history of PJO fan-authors* Huh? Yeah, I've been saying that all year. . . . Which is why I write TBT!**

**Cat:**** You know you made Detlef think you were clinically insane?**

**Owl: *****nods********vigorously* because I am!**

**Cat: *****mutters something***

**Owl:**** *sweetly* what was that, Cat dear?**

**Cat:**** I said you really need to get a life**

**Owls:**** *still sweetly* and you're one to talk, are you, Cat dearest?**

**Cat:**** Yes, I am! And the way you started randomly speaking in french to her about how you were going to ride that horse on Sunday, too.**

**Owl: ****J'aime mon cheval. Elle s'appelle Lucy. Elle est tres sympa . . .**

**Cat: *****snatches keyboard before Owl goes insane - again* We were bored, okay, Owl, are you sane again? Yes, she , this was a pre-done-thing conversation. And detlef is a real person that Owl made think she was wako - not that anyone's disagreeing. . . .**

**Owl:**** No, no one is. As if we'd actually do that! Mwahaha! You probably read this and thought, ****_wow, these randos have no brain, _****but, in actual fact, Cat has a brain! I can't say the same for myself (unless I'm on a horse, but hey, I don't own one). So, this is us being idiots with 29 days left of the wait. ****_The wait . . . _**

**Yeah, I was bored.**

**The wait is really getting to me . . .**

**I want a Percabeth reunion as much as I want pasta! (And that's a lot!)**

**Until next time, dear readers, R&R, please! And no, I'm just slightly insane. I'm the sane of insanity, as I like to say.**

**And just for this, I'll add a quote:**

**_If you ever think you're as stupid as the world will offer, just go and see Owl. _**

**_-_****A certain member of my family.**

**-Owl.**


	13. Chapter 13

**_S_****weet success! I did it! Here it is, sorry last time about the ridiculously short chapter . . . but, here is the next one! I hope you enjoy! I have so many ideas it is NOT funny for where this story is going.**

**I'm going on camp tomorrow, so you'll have to wait for the next chapter for a while . . . I'm back on Friday though! And Cat's going too, that sucks, doesn't it?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's and my words on the page, and quite frankly, if I did then every PJO book would be rubbish, because remember: I'm a special child, people!**

* * *

**_Chapter 12: Coming, Coming, and Gone_**

Before me stood a man. Well, not a man, but anyway. [Oh, very funny—not.]

He was the world's biggest body-builder, probably with the same brainpower, too. Still, the air around him seemed to quiver like it did in the heat, much like In Veg— no, I shouldn't think of that.

"Well, well, well, little raven did his job," his scarred face pulled into a wide, malicious grin beneath his shades. "And maybe you did a job that you _really _shouldn't have done. But, since you haven't accepted or declined a certain someone's offer, I guess I'm just going to assist him and . . . persuade you."

The quivering air gained a reddish sheen. He lowered his shades and his eyes boiled with fire. "I can take you, or _force _you. Choose."

I looked up at him. I couldn't care less. I was defeated, and I had that choice from the voice, and he was threatening me. I guess I should've been scared; the God of War was threatening _me. _But I was alone; no friends. I glared at him. "No. I have bigger things to think about, thank you very much."

He grinned wider and planted his shades back on his face. He cracked his knuckles. "It's been a long time since I've been allowed to do this . . ." he muttered.

I picked up my wings. If he wanted to force me through pain, then he had no idea what pain was. He lunged at me, and his huge, meaty hand wrapped around the joint in my wing.

It was so painful my vision blanked out for a moment. The pain was racing around my body and I ground my teeth. I could see a faint silvery like coming from the other end of my wing. It tingled.

For a split second fear raced across the God of War's features, but then he snarled and yanked my wing open, sickening cracks sounded and I toppled of my feet.

My wing was out of alignment, but I could see where my scar was. The feathers had nearly covered it up completely, but now it was glowing, _seriously _glowing.

It was jagged like a lightning bolt, and it was glowing silver. Ares grinned maniacally at me and a red aura began to gather around him, then it thickened to a portal-like thing behind him. Heat radiated off everything, pain and anger too.

He gripped it harder, my vision faulted again, but this time I saw a wing—chocolate brown with gold. Opal's wing.

I ground my teeth and yanked away my wing. Pain surged through me. I got to my feet and locked eyes with the astonished war god. My wing hung limply at my side. "You have no idea what pain is, Smug-head."

He gave a toothy grin. "Oh, I do. Trust me, raven, I do."

Then it all changed. I could see a white shape coming from my left. Porkpie?

"Blackjack!" he yelled. I stole a glance at him. It was him, diving at me. Then I realised there was another shape to my right. "Jack? What the—"

Ares stole that moment I was locked on my friends to snatch my injured wing with such force it flipped me over. He dragged me through the portal. I could hear Porkpie and Guido screaming, but then the portal closed up behind me like oil.

The world around me was searing hot. I couldn't open my eyes. Ares's ferocious grip was locked on my injured wing. I could feel blood dripping down my wing arm, but I was right. The War God had no idea what pain was. He didn't have the mental capacity for it.

When at last the heat faded I slammed against concrete ground. More pain ran through my other wing, but there was too much in my other wing for me to realise.

I was dragged—_dragged—_until I was thrown somewhere and the sound of an iron gate closed behind me. I opened a heavy eye and saw that I was in a cell. A figure was in front of me. With a sudden shock I realised that it was the Head Counsellor for Cabin 11—Luke.

He grinned—evilly, the scar on his face just made him look it even more. "Well, hello, Blackjack, what a nice surprise."

* * *

I sat in that cell. Luke's men came in again. Probably with that freaking whip—yeah, they were beating me, basically. The option was this: _we'll beat you senseless until you join or we'll beat you senseless and if you decline we'll destroy everyone!_

Gee, what a lovely choice.

But this time there was no whip, no crackling, fiery thing that was just painful. Despite every single burn I had, nothing was hurting more than my heart. Just as my friends had returned, I had failed and got captured, and now I would have to join these insane people or they'd destroy my parents, my camp, my friends . . . and Opal.

Why wasn't I considering Opal as a friend? I didn't know, she was just . . . in a different category. Not family, not friends. I had no idea what it was, but she was important to me, and I couldn't bear to lose her.

The guy pulled out a stool and sat on it in front of me. It clasped its hands on its knees. I realised that it had the posture of a woman.

_Night Pegasus, give up your fight,_ it said. I recognised it: a dacaenae.

"No," I said. Yeah, I was really helpful, wasn't I? I was splayed across the ground, my broken wing stuck out at odd angles and my good one littered with so many cuts it looked like I'd gone running through barb wire. So strong and magnificent, that Night Pegasus.

"Sssshame," she said with her hissing voice. "Pegasssssi make sssssuch lovely company."

"Huh. Since when do you care about company?"

"Sssssince they learned how fassssst they are sssssilenced!"

I shut my mouth. The monster collected herself. "Luke isssssn't here, ssssso it's up to me to try and perssssssuade you, Night Pegassssussss. Join ussss, and we will sssspare you family. Desssssert ussss, and you will be desssstroyed, along with everything you care about."

"You said only my family would be spared if I join."

She shuffled slightly. "Apologiesss, I meant everything you care about."

My mind went into action. She said just my family. Neither my friends nor Opal were family. They were friends, and . . . _other _things. I had a feeling there was a loophole in this, one that they were hiding. I couldn't trust these people, I never could. I had to get out of here.

"I'll tell you what I always have: wait."

She crouched. _Be wary of where you tongue gets you, Night Pegasus. There are other means of persuasion._

"Like?"

She grinned evilly. "As you will see."

The cell door opened and I was dragged out by my hooves. Why did they want me so badly? What made me so special? Sure, a goddess had given me her blessing but she was a minor god! Why?

The monsters dragging me led me through the corridors of something that looked like a cruise ship. They pulled me to a deck and then forced me to my feet.

A _dracaenae_ came forward with a Pegasus foal that was being dragged by the throat. I caught my breath. It was normal: bay with wings and a star on his face. He looked at me, he couldn't have been flying yet.

"Help me, please!" he begged, but the _dracaenae_ tightened her grip around his fuzzy throat.

"Now'ssss your chance, Night Pegasussss, or ssssee the fate of thissss foal."

My throat tightened up and my eyes were wide open. The colt looked at me pleadingly. "Let him go," I managed. "Let him be! I'll . . ."

_We will spare your family if you join . . . _

I looked the foal. "I'll join, but _let him go!" _

The foal was looking at me, pleading and thankful at the same time. The snake-lady snarled, "fine."

I was being dragged away, and I saw her lunge at him as I was being turned back down the corridor.

"No!" I screamed, and in one, agonising motion, used my wings to swing around, I beat the broken one so hard it snapped clean, and I smashed into her. I could barely stand. I looked at the foal. "Go! Fly! Get Chiron!"

"I can't! I'm a foal!"

"Listen to me," the monster was getting up, and the guards were coming at me. "All pegasi are natural fliers, you have to trust your instincts and jump off the deck, or otherwise you're dead! Just—"

One of the guards snatched my back legs and I face-planted on the deck. I looked up. "Run! Open your wings and jump! Get back to camp, tell everyone, and—"

A draconae wrapped a snake leg around my throat. The message was clear: _shut up._

The foal looked at me, the monsters, and then the edge of the deck.

He sent me a pleading look but then galloped as fast as its knobbly legs would carry it. He spread his huge wings out and then jumped.

I waited. Nothing. I panicked, I could've sent this foal to his death.

Then a terrified neigh split the silence and he soared up into the air. Relief flooded over me like the ocean as I watched him go. I hoped he would get back to camp. I hoped he could get me rescued.

Even though he was running and had no idea who I was, I couldn't help but feel as if he'd abandoned me too.

I was all alone again. This time working for the enemy.

Oh, and they _were._

* * *

**Ta-da! All done and dusted! Now we're moving into the Sea of Monsters.**

**Are the any ideas for the title to the sequel of this? I need some because I have none!**

**4 weeks until the MoA's out! YAY!**

**And here's another quote I know, random as, but anyway:**

**_Laziness is merely a form of resting before you get tired._**

**_- Unknown_**

**__****Until the next chapter, farewell!**

**- Owl. **


	14. Chapter 14

**YAY! I'm back in action, people! Camp was awesome, thanks for asking, apart from that Floral Essence . . . that stank! Anyway, I'm back, and here it Chapter 13. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and of course my words that are in this chapter.**

* * *

**_Chapter13: What Time is it?_**

I had a miserable time. Kind of expected, but it was bad.

No one paid any attention to my shattered wing apart from the fact that it prevented me from flying. Hmm . . . _ya think? _

I was locked in that cell long enough to know that the weather was changing. The temperature was dropping. It had been towards the end of summer when Ares—utter idiot, I tell you—had grabbed me by the hoof and dragged me into his little portal. Since then I had been locked in here. I think my wing was infected.

Yeah, it was. The bones were broken in so many places and the long gashes along it had swollen and discoloured. I was in constant pain. As soon as I shifted the wing stabs of pain would shoot up the wing. I found myself praying for it to go away. I was crippled by it.

On top of that it was getting colder. And I could hear footsteps and the distant rumbling of intercom announcements. The ship was being used as a cruise liner—with a prisoner? Sure, maybe I wasn't a human of any sort, but I mean, how is a Pegasus hard to spot? [No comment, okay? Gee, that was a nice one? Shall we tell the readers? Not so happy now, are you!]

I was curled up against the wall with my injured wing lying out in front of me in its misshapen heap it had become. The intercom came on again and made my head throb with pain. The infection was getting worse.

As soon as I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. I was visited by a Laistrygonian giant. One that obviously had a Mrs Uglypies back home because he had tattoos on him that said stuff like, _JB luvs Babycakes. _To be honest, I wasn't sure how I could read with the infection so bad that it was messing with my head, but I was.

He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and began to drag me along like something he really wasn't too happy about touching. I had my eyes clamped shut and I could feel sweat popping up on me; that was how bad the pain was of my wing being dragged along.

When he finally dumped me on the ground, passing out seemed like a great idea, but someone obviously had other ideas because they dropped a bucket of water on my head.

I bolted to my feet in shock and immediately crumbled again from the pain. It was like a liquid inferno was burning through every working nerve I had in my body.

I pried open an eye and came face-to-face with a demigod. He was looking me over. He had mousey-brown hair, a face full of freckles, and the sort of features that tend to give away a sense of cunning, wit and the general feel of a troublemaker.

"Chris, what d'you think?" said a voice. I stiffened; it belonged to Sir _Hi, I'm Just Going to Torture You until You Join—oh, and by the Way My Name's Luke._

He seemed even eviller than when I'd last seen him. He'd decided to go more casual now, wearing jeans and a red t-shirt, arms crossed over his chest and his sword at his waist. He was a pretty intimidating figure, I have to say. If I wasn't half-dead already from pain, maybe I would've had thought so, but when you're in that much pain . . .

'Chris' grabbed my lip and jerked my head up. As he did I something cracked painfully. I went feral at that moment and snapped at him.

He took a step back. "It's gone pretty feral, Luke—uh, sir."

Luke shrugged, "needs to be a bit feral. Nothing like an infection to do that."

Okay, I was really mad. I bared my teeth at him. "You complete and utter—"

Now, people, this is the bit where they say, _I shall not repeat the words, _and because those words were so rude, filthy, foul words that if I were to repeat them I would be banned from continuing this story and that would make me very, very mad. [Not like I can say the same for you, can I, boss?]

He looked at me. "Get him to deck. Maybe he's too feral."

Two more cannibal giants walked up to me and they each grabbed me. One grabbed at my neck, the other my mane. They dragged me along; upstairs, downstairs, through lifts, and yeah.

I think I blacked out along the way—actually, I did. Because I had this like . . . dream. I won't say vision because that's a really weird way of putting it, to me, anyway. [No, I never said anything about you, okay?]

I was in blackness. Everything around me was cool to the touch. Tiny breezes fluttered past me and whispered. _Come, this way._ I wanted so badly to follow them. I looked at my wing and saw that there was no injury. I lifted it; no pain.

I grinned for the first time in basically months. Another breeze pushed past, slightly firmer than the others. _Peace, this way . . ._

I decided to agree. I mean, these guys were getting rid of the pain.

I spread my wings and felt the breezes under them as I glided along. I could make out a silvery light at the end of the black. Silver engraving swirled around it with lives of their own.

The door was high and arched. Pictures raced across it. I wanted to see what was passed them. They began to slowly creak open at that thought.

Suddenly a picture formed on the door. Opal.

She was framed against the sunset with her forelegs tucked up high and her neck arched. Her eyes sparkled and her mane and tail flowed out behind her like liquid gold.

Then another image formed: my buds and I. Laughing at some joke. I myself was in the weirdest position ever, laughing with my eyes tightly shut.

More pegasi flashed across the doors as they slowly creaked open. But then they all faded as the doors opened. I walked forward.

I saw a river in front of me. It was black and swirling with teddies, wedding dresses and all things like that. A boat much like a barge or ferry or something was there, too. A lone, hooded figure stood in front of it. His eyes were sockets of darkness. He smiled: sadly, and darkly.

"Choose," he said. "Come, or stay."

Suddenly I realised where I was. I was right between the two doors. I glanced sideways and saw I picture of me, standing next to Opal, that day I'd left to follow the kids on their quest. The sun was catching her eyes and they shone gold like the sun, whereas I seemed to have a dark, night feeling to me, I could even sense something like space from that picture.

I looked at that, and then at the guy. He was still there. He hadn't moved. Breezes pushed past me, urging me on, as they flew in they melted into figures; hooded with bare feet. They were people.

I felt fear gripping me. I was choosing whether to die or survive. I couldn't just _die. _I was . . . why was I important? Why should I live? I had only pain to return to, didn't I?

Then my vision flicked with a shot of a chocolate and gold wing. I looked at the picture. It had changed back to the first picture I'd seen of Opal, and as I watched it changed.

I could only see her back as she looked into the sky. Three figures were flying into the sky. I saw her eyes, and I knew that I couldn't just . . . _go. _Then, as I watched, two of the figures in the sky faded away and it was just one. Me.

I looked at her expression. It was saying a message, loud and clear. _Please come back, please._

I looked at the guy and the milling people around him. "No, I choose to stay."

He nodded grimly and waved a hand. I moved back out of the closing doors as, for a second, another figure appeared before them. He was hooded, too, but he had wings coming out of his back. About a million different shades of black and they shone.

He looked at me with hazel-gold eyes and then it all began to fade. As it did I could see light, and then colour.

I opened my eyes to a world of pain. There was a blinding flash of bright gold.

I looked up to see a Pegasus kick down the cannibal giant. Her golden wings were open wide and her chest was heaving. Her eyes flickered to me, and an expression of relief so strong it was hard to look at fell over her face. A single word formed in my mind. _Opal._

* * *

**That was slightly odd, don't you think? That wasn't too gross a chapter with the infection and all, was it? **

**Yeah, that was Charon and Thanatos. The Doors of Death that have a VERY big part coming up in this story. **

**Aw, there's romance! That's kinda weird, seeing as they're horses, but anyway, yeah.**

**What the heck do I call it? Blackopal won't work. Blacpal?**

**I don't know. Suggestions please!**

**Please R&R.**

**Until next chapter, or a PM,**

**- Owl.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yay! I'm getting the hang of posting on time! Thanks for all the reviews, and i'm so happy about them (I'm on a bit of a Happy High since I got back from camp and laughed my head of at Detlef) that I shall respond to them!**

**LazySundayGirl: I don't mind, I'm terrible at typing on my phone, too**

**Nanu Kitty: You're Welcome! And i'm actually happy about being called a 'Feathery Friend' yay!**

**Guest: Well, I don't know who you are, but thank you for telling me that!**

**On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and my words on the page**

* * *

**_Chapter 14: Hellos are Painful When you've Nearly Died_**

"Blackjack!" she screamed. Ow, that really hurt my head. She raced over and looked at my face. "Oh my gods, Blackjack . . ." she looked down at my wing. Her eyes widened like they were revolted. They probably were, but anyway.

"Oh—my—"

I should probably say that I have never seen Opal mad, but I was guessing that this was her going into rage. "Who's in charge?" she demanded, sadly forgetting that I had just been at Death's Door and that I could barely talk. "Blackjack, they deserve to _pay, _who's—in—_charge?"_

The gold in her eyes seemed to glow bright with rage. It was enough to make me get to my feet, wincing every second and my face stuck in a grimace. I still don't know how I actually did it, but I did.

"There's . . . no time, go . . ." I managed. That simple sentence exhausted me. How was I meant to do anything worthy of escape when I could barely stand and hardly talk?

There was sadness in her raging eyes as she looked at me. But still, never tell a filly to not do what she wants to when she's angry—[Look, trying to change it to people is too weird for a Pegasus. What? Too weird for you to hear this? What the— you've seen how many weird things? And this takes the prize, does it? And you thought you were special. . . . What the— OW! Hey, that was the infected wing! Yes, okay that was three years ago but SHUT IT!]—and so she looked me dead in the eye. "Blackjack, these people have _no _mercy. They wouldn't care if you died!"

I guess it was the sudden thought I had right then that gave me the strength to argue. "But if you stay here they'll do worse to you. Just . . . go, okay? Run, get help. You can't take on this alone."

She pawed the ground with her hoof, but then looked away. When she looked back there were tears in her eyes. "I was the one who went looking for that foal. He said that he was given the chance to escape by a black Pegasus. I asked him . . . did he have a name. And he said the only thing he heard was 'Night Pegasus'. Blackjack, I came back because he said he knew the last coordinates of the ship. I've spent all winter looking, and everyone else just thinks you're dead."

_For all I know, I am, _I thought. I looked up at her grief-stricken face. "Did he . . . did he tell you what they were asking me, and what I answered?"

She looked down at the ground. She took a shuddering breath. "He told me they were using him to make you join this . . . _monstrosity. _He said . . . he said you accepted to help him, but then the monster . . . and then you . . . and I . . ."

She began to cry. I tried to walk forward but every muscle in my leg cramped. I could only stand there, grimacing in pain and watching her cry. That was worse than any infected wing.

"Opal, please, you have to—"

"Blackjack, I gave up caring on what I _have _to do. I did what I _wanted _to do! I _wanted _to find you, then I _needed _to find you, and then I just _had _to find you, okay? And now, I have, and you just . . . you tell me to just leave!"

"Opal, I don't want you to—"

"Then why do you say it so bluntly? I save your butt, and . . . and all that! You can't just expect me to just _go _after I spent so long looking for you!"

"Opal," I said, softer and more gently. "You need to go because if you're trying to rescue me it's impossible. I can't fly. I can't walk—heck, I can't even talk most of the time!" the sound of my own voice was making a throbbing pain in my head. "But, you need to go back. I want to be able to go, but more than that I want you to go so they don't get a hold of you. The only reason they tortured me—"

"_WHAT?"_

Oh dear . . . gee, Blackjack, you just _had _to say that, didn't you? Now try and get rid of her!

"No, Opal, please just—"

"They—tortured—_you?" _

"No, wait, please, it's because . . ."

Oh brilliant. Now you have to tell her the huge confusing story about being a Night Pegasus and all the rest while you just _know _the monsters are realising you're not there. Nice one, Blackjack!

What was I meant to do? I had to tell her so she would get out of here. If they got her . . . that was too painful to think about.

"Look, I . . . they call me a Night Pegasus for a reason, okay? And . . . that gives them an advantage they're so desperate for they'll do anything to make me join. Even . . . even if it means destroying everything I know and care about."

I prayed this was getting through to her. She looked at me, then my wing, then the door. "If you're called a Night Pegasus . . . come on, this needs to work."

She kicked the door open and I could see the dark night beyond it, just seeing that made me feel better. Opal came over and supported my bad wing with hers as we slowly limped to the door. The closer I got to the darkness, the better I felt.

By the time we were at the door, I could step over the frame with only excruciating pain. Man, best I'd felt in months!

Opal came up behind me and gave me the last shove through. As I stepped into the night I could feel my wing stretching. Okay, that was slightly painful, well, a lot more than painful, but what was I expecting, really?

Opal stood next to me. She seemed to glow slightly gold in the night. I looked up at the stars and thought about all the pain I had felt in the time I'd been prisoner here. I could feel the throbbing beginning to ebb away. I could feel the infection healing. Was that the night doing it? Did Nyx's blessing include a night time pick-me-up?

Then I realised that the wing was over Opal's back. She was slightly glowing. Glowing gold.

Was I imagining it, or was I beginning to put things together?

When I thought that, I realised that there was the moon in the sky, and there was moonlight on the wing. I could see the torn muscles beginning to knit back together. Unfortunately it all stopped there, the bones were still shattered.

For the first time in ages I felt like I could actually _move. _I looked at Opal, who was staring at the moon, "Opal?" I asked. She was strangely silent.

"What do you think is the more beautiful thing, Jackie, the sun or the moon?"

I could tell that she just wanted to hear me say something apart from me wishing her to go. I looked at the moon, and then at her. For some reason I began to picture her in front of the sun.

"It depends," I said. "Like, sometimes the moon is really nice, but then sometimes the sun's really nice, too."

She shuffled her wings, shifting my wing but only causing some pain. "I always thought the sun as the prettier one. I don't know why. I just . . . I used to call myself half sun, and my mum always would annoy my by calling me 'Little Sun'. What about you?"

"Well, I don't know. I've just been constantly referred to as 'Night Pegasus', so I don't have much of an insight on these things."

She gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess so."

Then, genius me had a thought. I knew nothing about her parentage. I had no idea why. "Opal," I said. "Where are your parents?"

She was silent for a moment. "My father died in a chariot accident when I was three," she said. I suddenly felt really bad for raising this topic. "And then one day, a few months later, my mum just . . . flew away into the sunset, and never came back. She went slightly mad after my dad's death. She started talking to me like I was her sunset she so wanted to fly away to. Then she did. And I was alone."

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged her wings. "I guess some things you have to learn through pain. I mean, you learnt guts, and I guess I learnt hardiness. I guess I get really competitive because I want to be the best, so that I don't meet the same fate my dad did."

I was silent. I thought of my parents. My buds. Opal.

I'd spent so long wanting _someone _to come for me, and then she did, and I wanted her to go. Yes, it was mean, but I couldn't bare it if something happened to her.

Suddenly there were primordial growls coming from the door. I looked at Opal. "Go," I said. "Please, just tell them I'm alive and go."

"No way," she said. "Have you gone nuts?"

I turned to see a hellhound bound through the door. I shoved her out of the way and it barrelled into me. "Blackjack!" she yelled.

"Go!" I yelled at her. The hellhound was snapping at me, and my wings were pinned beneath me. Pain was surging through my broken wing. I planted my hooves under the monster's belly and kicked it off. Opal was still standing where I'd left her, frozen in fear.

She wasn't looking at me though, she was looking at Luke.

"My, that's a good-looking horse. Now," he looked at me, struggling to get to my feet. "Ah, Blackjack, do you want a friend? I mean, it's not like you can be used with your wing in that shape."

"Get away from her," I said, walking in front of her. I guess Luke must've gone half-monster or something because he seemed to understand what I was saying. "Would I ever be one to waste a good horse? Sure, you're a Night Pegasus, but you're a _crippled_ Night Pegasus."

"That's Luke . . ." Opal was whispering frantically and quite hysterically. It was making me panic. Didn't they know back at camp? Or had someone kept the pegasi in the dark?

"I may be crippled, but I wasn't before you had to come along and _torture _me."

That got Opal back to her senses. Thank gods for that.

Sadly, however, Luke seemed to realise this, and so he gestured for three _dracaenae _to slither forward, pointing spears at us. "Opal, just . . . go. Now. Before they can get you."

"No, Blackjack, I waited so long—"

"Choose, Night Pegasus," Luke said. "Let your . . . _friend _be taken by us, so you can have a friend, or, you can let her go, therefore invoking your punishment."

I shuddered. The punishment they meant was torture. Freaking hellhounds.

"You will _not _get her. Opal—go!"

Thank the gods she actually listened and jumped into the air. "Blackjack come _on, _please!" she yelled, but I was facing Luke. He snarled, "Now!" and the _dracaenae _pounced on me.

Just as their spears were about to come at me, I yelled, "Opal, go, and whatever you do, _do not look back!"_

And then the spears came rushing at me, and I closed my eyes. Praying to the gods she would be okay.

* * *

**Ta-da!**

**Yeah, random chapter.**

**I need to have loads of filler chapters in the Sea of Monsters, because of the fact he's a prisoner, and you can't really write that much about being in jail**

**So, anyway, we shall continue!**

**I'm going to be naughty as and tell a tiny spoiler!**

**Camp Jupiter has a tiny role in this story**

**Hehe**

**Cat: Owl, you idiot**

**Owl: how long have you known me?**

** , until the next chapter!**

**Please R&R!**

**-Owl**


	16. Chapter 16

**Whoohoo! Take that, lack-of-inspiration!**

**Now look at me, every second of school I'm having ideas about where this is going!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and of course my words**

* * *

**_Chapter 15: Christmas for Many except Me_**

It was winter, I knew that much.

Compared to how I'd been the week before, with the infected shattered wing, I was feeling great.

Well, as great as you can feel when you can play _I spy _on yourself, using all the gashes you have.

So, there I was. They'd figured out that my wing wasn't going to mend too easily, so they'd put a splint on it, with a few bandages. When Opal had escaped, those spear points had hit me. Basically, if you found my pacing my cell, you'd probably hear stuff like, "_I spy with my little eye,_ something that looks like a squiggly line."

"That gash that's on you ribs?"

"Why yes, now, what are you going to do?"

"Hmm . . . _I spy with my little eye_ . . ."

Yeah, I was talking to myself. Well, I was giving off the picture that I was going insane, while my cunning little mind was working out escape plans. [Yeah, not like you can use your mind, ha!]

I was glad that all the gashes had stopped bleeding, there was a dark patch in the corner from when they still were, but at that moment I had to keep myself moving, even if my wing was dragging along the ground.

Roughly, my mind was doing something like this, rather than really thinking through stuff; _there's a corridor, a hall, a kitchen . . . then there's that staircase, and then there's another hall . . . then . . . the deck! _I had remembered all I could of the interior of the ship, but there was a huge blank in the middle of where I'd blacked out.

It was really irritating. So, I was cold, I was injured, and on top of it all, every day Castellan would come in and give me a 'debriefing' on the rules of the army. Listen to this: no looting, no speaking unless given permission, no stealing food, no annoying sounds; the list went on, and on.

When at last he'd finished that, he would sit back on his chair and say, "she was a _very _nice filly, Blackjack, way out of your league."

And yes, that drove me _up the wall, _but, I managed to keep it all contained, until perhaps the pointy end of November, where I just snapped.

He was sitting back on a chair, nibbling on something I didn't know and quite frankly, didn't _want _to know, and he was talking with his mouth full.

"So, Blackjack, how did you and that filly meet?"

I glared at him. Over the time I'd been captive, he knew never to ask about what my life had had in it. Nevertheless, I began to talk. [Yeah, I know that was random, but when you aren't allowed to fly around and just have to _talk, _you'd start talking weirdly—so? Yes, I asked you, but there's a _reason! _. . . No, I won't tell you . . . yet.]

I sighed and put my chin back on the ground, "Camp."

He seemed to flinch at it. "Camp," he spat. He glared at me, "I have a new rule: never—and I repeat—never, talk about that place in this ship."

I smirked. "But, unless I am mistaken, you asked me to tell you how I met her, and I told you, and rule no. 023 is: never fail to respond to a question issued by a higher rank, and never stop answering until they are satisfied. Take that, Castellan."

Yeah, I guess I was better than I was when Opal had saved my butt—for a bit.

Luke looked at me, and for the slimmest of seconds, his irises flicked gold. That unnerved me.

Then he spoke, except it was like I was hearing his voice, but with an echo. An echo of a voice I knew all too well—_The _Voice.

"You'll do better to listen to you replies, Night Pegasus. She will only be the start of your punishment if you don't," then he caught himself, and seemed slightly disorientated. Then he caught himself and resumed his previous sneer. "Yes; stop being too smart for your own good. So, you met her at . . . _that place,_ what makes her so special, eh?"

I eyed him with just my left eye, the eye that was facing him. "What makes anyone special? You just know what makes you special when you're with them, and that makes them special."

"So I could have a movie star here, and they made me special because they were famous, is that what you're saying?"

"No. They make you feel . . . _whole. _That type of special."

"Then I'd better get my hands on that filly. With a pair of wings like that—"

"You stay away from her!" Somehow, adrenaline rush, I guess, I had jumped to my feet and my face was pressing his, I was staring him dead in the eye. "You have no right to go _near _her. One touch of her tail and you're _dead, _Castellan."

He grinned and shoved my face away with my hand. "Then hold your temper, and she'll be free longer, Blackjack, or, as she says, _Jackie._"

I bared my teeth at him and spread my wings out wide. My tail flicked back and forth behind me. "That is for her only, and if you had any brains you'd lay off that."

He smiled, and waved a hand. With that, a woman strode in. She was wearing thick, army boots and black leather leggings. Holding her leggings up was a shiny belt, and on that was a whip. She wore a red t-shirt with a picture of a set of scales on it. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, with a few strands of hair loose. Locks of highlighted red hair ran through her black. Her face could've been pretty, with a slightly upturned nose and high cheekbones. Her head sat on a long, slender neck with a few freckles—dangerously reddish freckles. But her eyes shoved all that away. They were dark, and cunning, and had the type of look that made you feel as if she was balancing the rest of your life or its abrupt end.

She smiled, and reached for her whip. As she cracked it a black flame danced across it. Luke stood, "I'll let you get acquainted. This here is Nemesis; she keeps everyone on the ship in order. She's the Goddess of Balance and Revenge. She evens out the good luck, luck given out too randomly and generously by her sister, Tyche." 

Nemesis grinned evilly and cracked her whip as Luke walked out if the cell. I had a bad, bad feeling this would involve a lot of pain.

The first thing that happened was the whip—lash, isn't it?—wrapping around my leg. It hurt more than anything I'd been through so far. As it retreated it came down again, skimming across my ribs.

Nemesis smiled. "Dear Night Pegasus, did you doubt the pain that was intended to you? You had far too much luck, surviving all those dangerous things you've done in you petty life, and so you'll feel them now. _All _of them."

To be honest, I think I did really well. I don't think I screamed . . . well, I hope not. But I guess I did, because, towards the end, the room plunged itself into darkness. Nemesis looked around. "No! You foul creature! Nyx shall pay for this!"

With all the pain rocketing through my system, I wasn't really aware of anything going on. I could see a figure in the darkness, a woman's shape. "Hold your tongue, Nemesis," it said. I knew that voice: Nyx.

Oh great, I was in the middle of a goddess-fight.

Nemesis snarled at Nyx. Her whip cracked again, and I could see a shadow forming behind her—no, those were her _wings. _Brilliant.

"Why have you blessed this creature? You are a primordial!"

"Changes come and go, Nemesis. You were always a shady figure, now you have just upped the ante on it," I could sense her pointing a finger at the winged Nemesis. "I gave you much inspiration, Nemesis, and this is how you repay me? Killing the only living soul I have ever blessed?"

"You have blessed many to die at sundown, Nyx."

"The Hesperides gave me their thoughts that those souls should travel to Hades, but never have I given my night; never to a Pegasus. The Fates have paths for this one; pain to come, so leave him be!"

"You were never merciful, Nyx. You should know better than to cut my punishment, my balance-brining. You never have sided with the Olympians, never have you allowed yourself to be pushed aside, never have you dared insult yourself stepping foot upon Olympus!"

"Nemesis, you used to control your temper. The titans are useless, they cared less about me than the gods. Eros was my shadow, and yes, the Olympians cast us all to my wretched brother Tartarus, but—" I had never paid much attention to what people had said, but I guess Nyx knocked that out of me in the one speech—[Not like you ever listen at all—OW!]—and so I lay there, dazed but still listening. "But the night has always risen again, as Apollo rides his chariot to the far corner of the heavens. And now, out of my prison in Tartarus, I have fashioned my own chariot. One Pegasus is all was ever needed, except this one carries the spirit of the sea. One that shall right the countless wrongs that have been committed and you ignored!"

"Your stars have blocked your vision, Nyx. I will let this one live, but he has pain coming."

With that the room lifted back to light. I could see Nyx standing there, in her deep blue Chilton and dark, starry skin. Nemesis summoned back her lash and her wings vanished. She walked out of the room. Nyx remained still. "You shouldn't have heard that, my Night Pegasus."

_No, maybe not, _I thought. I could still feel every ounce of residue pain. Nyx smiled, "I am sorry you have the paths the Fates gave you. This pain will be much less than what you are to feel. Yes, I am a primordial goddess, but I have come to accept change, and this change shall be permanent and for the greater good . . . just, for you it must happen painfully."

She stood up straighter and silently walked over. She kneeled down and looked at all my cuts and gashes and burns and other stuff. "For you, I shall let these wounds be melted into the night, as I hear many mortals say." She placed a star-laced hand on my shoulder and I could feel all my wound just . . . melting away, basically.

She frowned when she saw my wing not mending. She lifted her hand and pointed at it. "That needs to heal with another. It can heal on its own course, but it will never be full until mended properly."

I stood up, still with a bung wing but working everything else. "Um . . . thanks, Lady Nyx. Really, I needed that. Did you mean what you said—"

"—About the chariot? Yes."

Had I mentioned that when people finish my sentences I tend to get really annoyed? Well, that's very true, but I just didn't with Nyx, which is probably a good thing, seeing as I heard things about many deaths and such.

Okay, let me get this straight: I was the Chariot of the Night. "Weren't you renowned for your beauty and dark powers?"

"Hmm . . . yes, apparently. I may have had that to the mortals of Ancient Greece, and some of it may be true, but times change as much as the position of the Heart of the Flame. Now it is here, and so my past must change. Olympus's ways is to change—I know it, as do the Fates, and so the change must start somewhere. I merely started the change now."

"But . . . why am I so special? Why bother giving _me, _a stuck-up, troublemaking colt your blessing?"

Nyx began to fade to darkness as she rose to her feet. Stars began to form around her as she glanced back at me. She winked, "every Pegasus has their secrets. The brightest flame has the darkest of all."

And then she was just . . . _gone. _And I was alone, but this time, I didn't feel as if everyone had abandoned me. Now, I just had to wait.

Even through Christmas. Christmas for all . . . except me.

Maybe Opal too.

I had no idea how right I was.

* * *

**Mwhahaha! I have Chapter 15!**

**Was that . . . ****_slightly _****random with the goddess-fight thing?**

**Hey, it was essential. I found out Nyx ****_is _****a primordial goddess, and I am never happy until i get things right!**

**So, there we have it: all done!**

**Please R&R!**

**Suggestions and ideas welcome!**

**-Owl**


	17. Chapter 17

**Whoohoo, people! Chapter 16 at last! And, guess what?**

**School's out! Whoohoo!**

**I'm giddy. That's bad. Cat knows that's bad.**

**Anyway, here it is! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I won only my OC's and my words.**

* * *

**_Chapter 16: Camp A-Waddah?_**

I hate having dream/vision/annoying things you get when falling asleep. But, stuck in that cell, in the winter, just after Christmas, with a broken wing and a sense of loneliness, I got one.

Well, I'd fallen asleep, and then I had the weirdest dream ever.

_My dad was dying. He was standing on the grass, his once glistening scarlet-red wings hung heavily like stones. His eyes seemed dreamy and glazed. Honey stood next to him, tears stained on her face. Phoenix looked up at the sky. "I have to go, Honey. I have to . . . I left, and I said that someday I would return. It's my birthplace, Honey. I have to return."_

_She looked at him, her shining and grey eye. "I know, Phoenix, I know. We all know."_

_He nodded to her, "until the Underworld, my dearest Honey; until then."_

(Pegasi have different souls to mortals and humans. We have our own place where we always remember our previous life.)

_He spread his aging wings and took to the sky above him. He looked back down at her. "Perhaps we shall find Blackjack there, already waiting for us."_

_They thought I was dead. How? Why didn't Opal—?_

_Opal was gliding through the sky. Phoenix flew past her. "You did your best, Opal. He would've wanted it, my dear."_

_She nodded, tears in her eyes, before she tucked in her wings and dove down back to the ground. Phoenix looked back at the camp, and then turned away, heading out of the safe grounds, to wherever it was he was so desperate to return to._

I sat up so hard I snapped my wing. I groaned and lay back down as the pain slowly stopped. At least I hadn't snapped the bones, just snapped the position. I grimaced and slowly sat up. I could feel the sweat breaking around my ears and running down my neck. Dying. That was the only way I could describe my father: dying.

The door ground open and Luke strode in. He wore a smug expression. "I have to admit," he said flatly. "That I am slightly impressed that you're even still alive."

"No thanks to you," I muttered. Then I mentally whacked myself. Talk about the most-used comeback line in the history of comeback lines! URGH!

Luke seemed to realise this, or maybe it was because my face was showing what I was thinking, but I was starting to seriously doubt his brain-capability. "Unoriginality, Blackjack? You sicken me."

"And you too, if it helps," I glared at him, before adding, coldly, "to spewing-point."

Now, _that _was a comeback line! Whoohoo!

Please tell me I did _not _just do that . . . [Geez, boss, watch it! Oh, that's a great help! _Me? _Insane? Have you looked in the mirror lately? Tell your girlfriend to put away her knife when she's laughing will you, Ares-face? Hey, that _is _what your face looks like right now!—Oh my gods; it just got worse than Ares-level! What the— OW!]

He crossed his arms over his chest, and I was distinctly aware of the sword at his waist. It seemed to send out a hum to the air around it, a noise like the two metals in it were like magnets, forcing against each other, desperate to get apart, and yet trapped in by another force. What could that force be? How did immortal collide with mortal? This was doing my head in.

Luke seemed to catch on to what I was looking at. His face turned back to evil. He may have so little brainpower that I wonder how he manages to exist, but he's cut out for the job of evil-face master. "I see you're looking at Backbiter," he said.

Backbiter? Really? Talk about dull names. Why not something like . . . _idiot-user's-sword? _Now that was a good name for it.

"Quite fascinating, really," he said.

Then it clicked to me. He wasn't speaking the way he had at camp. He was too formal, too . . . thoughtful. He considered the words he said before saying them, he _prepared._

That filled me with dread.

"The two major metals in this blade are Mortal Steel and Celestial Bronze," he smiled darkly, "Major, but not the only ones."

He began to slide the blade from its scabbard. "The metal that separates the two is a mixture of two metals: Stygian Iron, and Imperial Gold.

_Imperial Gold._

Where did I know that name? Why did it fill me with a feeling that was so heavy it was like I was feeling the dread of all of Olympus as he said that name? Why did I hear it, and recognise it as if it had a name imprinted in my mind? It was beginning to drive me nuts.

"I see you caught on," he said.

I snapped, for that slim moment. "Quit it with the,'I see's and the, 'You must understand' s. I understand fine, I see fine, but _you—"_

I struggled to my feet. For the first time in all the months I'd been in that cell, I realised how much taller I was. How much taller I was than him.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "_You, _Castellan, don't see at all. You don't understand at all. Don't you get it? You blackmailed me in; you're torturing me to _keep _me in, and threatening me, and all that stuff. Why am I important, eh? Why? Why does the name _Imperial Gold _strike me as a foreign and dangerous name? Why do you speak so formally it makes me start to speak like that?!"

I realised it was true as soon as I'd said it. It wasn't like it was my imagination. It's the brain: fit in. It's the thing that drives us. Every being has it in them. Why are all humans alike? Why are all the species in the world alike? Because the more time they spend around each other, they adapt. I had spent enough time with the enemy to realise this. This was bad: I was actually _using _my brain.

Luke smiled cruelly. "Oh, Imperial Gold isn't so bad—unless you break it. . . . Which makes it explode . . . and the fact it's from a certain _place—"_

"Certain place?" I scoffed. Then I did something I don't know how. I just glared at him so hard I could almost feel him darkening with fear. "I'd watch where you go, Castellan. If I were you, I'd get out of this cell right now and not come back."

Thank gods he actually listened.

* * *

I rolled onto my back. No visitors. At all. No food for the last three days. It was getting warmer, so I figured it was getting to springtime. I used to love springtime, when the food tasted best and the camp was _just _quiet enough to make a lot of noise. I remembered Annabeth getting fed up at something one day in the sword arena. She was holding her knife, and yelling at someone. Who, I can't remember. I just remember her going crimson with rage and throwing the knife at a dummy so hard it was wedged right in its head, right between where the eyes would've been.

I don't know why I was remembering that. I had another memory about spring; really ridiculous and so . . . odd that only a much younger version of yours truly could make it up.

_Screw that, _I thought. I remembered it perfectly. It was the day I noticed Opal.

I was lying down on the grass. It was longer than usual, and I was so much smaller back then. Porks and Guido were watching the chariot races. I didn't really care about them. It was just too violent and mindless for my liking.

Ah, the good old days where you had the strangest opinions.

Anyway, I was looking over at the woods. I don't know why exactly, but I was. It was midday or something, and I was just bored. My parents were off, teaching riders and all things like that.

Sometimes I can be really weird.

So, there I was; staring absent-mindedly into the trees and just . . . existing. It was the weirdest moment in my life. Never in it have I just lay down and existed. But I was, right then.

I had my eyes fixed in the trees, and I saw a faint, gold light begin to paint their trunks. I saw her as she walked out.

I'm going to sound like some sad, sad colt, but I still managed to remember every aspect of how she looked.

Her chocolate-gold mane was long and perfectly straight. When she moved her neck it rippled like water. Her eyes shone brilliantly, and her chocolate coat was rich and glossy.

Every step she took, her knees would come up high and neatly, before they'd reach down and step across onto the grass. She reminded me of a princess—[Yes, I know that sounds weird coming from a horse, but that's the only thing I can say that you'll understand with your meagre brain.]

She walked out from the trees, and her appaloosa pattern shone. Her tail swished back and forth as she walked, her high poise and elegant stepping, her nose lifted slightly high on her arched neck.

I guess I knew that I liked her, looking at her. But she came out, and then she started walking towards me. My eyes widened, but I could do nothing more.

Then, she just walked right past like she hadn't even seen me.

Looking back on it, I guess I should've been hurt—[Shut it, boss]—but I wasn't that was the weird thing. And I wasn't even in one of those _I'm so going to make you regret that! _moods, either.

I just watched her go, and at the last second, I saw her look back, with a smile and a twinkle in the gold of her brown eyes.

Then I fell asleep again. Bad.

_Phoenix was flying nearing the coast. How the old guy had managed to fly that fast, I didn't know, but he had._

_Below him, I could see a valley. Ringed with hills. Down below, I could see buildings down below, like Roman buildings. There was a river around it like a capital G, and some buildings that reminded me of those fortress thingies._

_Phoenix descended further down into the strange place. Two forms suddenly began to fly up to him. One was the colour of peanut butter, and the other was a dark grey._

_"Phoenix!" cried the dark grey one. I could see it was a lot bigger than the peanut-butter coloured one. _

_"Garth!" Phoenix called back. "Surprised?"_

_"Alas, no; you swore upon the River Styx that you would return, and so you have. You were not one to go back on an oath, Phoenix." _

_Phoenix smiled, "You have ruined my day. Who is this, pray tell?"_

_My dad wasn't one to talk like that. Why was he talking like that now?_

_"This is my son, Scipio. He wasn't born when you left. When . . . when Rose left . . ."_

_Rose? Who the Hades is Rose? Why was my dad talking to a bunch of randos in a way I've never seen him talk before? Man, this gets better and better, doesn't it?!_

_Phoenix nodded. "Well, Scipio, you have become a strong young colt. It is a shame that my son . . ."_

_"Your son?" Garth asked quizzically. "What about him? I assumed you would have a family, but—"_

_"No, Garth. My son . . . is most likely dead or wounded. Maybe even alive but in a prison. But it is most likely he is dead. There was an attempt to rescue him a while ago . . . but he fell to an army as he made his rescuer go. She saw the spear points come too close to escape."_

_Garth looked down. "It is sad. I am sorry, brother."_

_What the—_

_Was I hearing this? Was I losing it? What the— I need medical attention!_

[No, that's what I was _thinking. _Hey, you don't see Annabeth asking these things, do you? Why? Because she has a working_ brain. _And, shocking, I know, I actually have one, too. What? No, you are a strange kid, boss. What the— that was uncalled for! I am _so _going to find your Achilles Heel for that!]

_The three pegasi hovered there in silence for a while, before Scipio finally looked up. "Maybe we should grieve on the ground. Home ground for you, uncle."_

_Shut it, peanut breath._

_The other two pegasi nodded. Phoenix looked around him. "I suppose, I was always going to return. Return to where all roads lead, eh? Return to New Rome," he sighed deeply. "Return to Camp Jupiter."_

_WHAT?_

* * *

**Ta-da! **

**I hope you liked it!**

**Please R&R!**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-Owl**


	18. Chapter 18

**Righto, this is a completely and utterly disgustingly short chapter, but it had to be done if I was to get the chapter layout right.**

**Chapter layout is a random way of putting it . . . what I mean is, I have to have the suspense for the next chapter.**

**THAT MAKES MORE SENSE!**

**Review Replies:**

**Nanu Kitty: no, she doesn't. Like I said in a certain OTHER chapter, how his dad got there was a long and complucated story. In other words, it's confusing and no one knows but Honey because of what you'll find out in this chapter**

**LazySundayGirl: Yes, he is. And yes, I did get that reference. Haha, that was funny when I read that. Thanks for that compliment.**

**trustingHim17: why, thank you!**

**On with the show, people!**

**Extra A/N: I wasn't always planning on making Phoenix die, but with the sad death of one of a very sweet horse I know, Wolfie, I was given the inspiration for it.**

**R.I.P Wolfie. **

**Disclaimer: I own only my O/Cs and words.**

* * *

**_Chapter 17: Romans Can Be Quite Confusing_**

I was pacing in my cell. My wing was dragging on the ground. Over the time I'd been here, I'd managed to be able to lift it, but under no circumstances did I try to fold it. That would split the bones completely. And because I'd tried that and it turned out really badly.

It was towards the end of spring. June was coming up. It was so maddening, because every spring there was these great thermals that were so good to zoom around.

My buds and I used to do this thing with Guido; we'd gang up on him and shove him into one, then roll over laughing. It made him so mad it was hilarious.

I sighed and stopped for a moment. I was stuck here. I hadn't seen real daylight in so long I was afraid that it would hurt my eyes when I did. That was what scared me mainly. Yeah, I was scared.

Scared for myself, scared for camp, scared for my dad, who was _dying, _scared for Olympus—everything. I had never been this scared before. Never, in my whole, idiotic life full of doing idiotic things.

More than anything, I wanted to stop being scared.

But I was. I was terrified. Every time a monster walked past I'd remember the pain all the injuries given to me by them. I remembered nearly dying, how I hadn't been scared then at all.

Maybe it's true what I've heard: living is ten times as scary as death.

Then why did I make such an effort to stay alive?

Then I stopped. Opal.

Was that the only reason? No. Because I knew I still had a life, even if it was filled with pain and suffering. You get very few shots at life, and so I wanted to make this my best life ever.

And then there were my buds. I couldn't leave them. My family, the camp. I couldn't abandon Olympus. If it was true about anything, I knew I was important. And I knew that Percy guy was important too.

[You can stop with the disgusted faces. How would you feel if you were me right then? Dude, that was _not _necessary. Hey, if _you _had a broken wing and was locked away, you'd be a heck of a lot worse than I was.]

Eventually I stopped. These thoughts weren't getting me anywhere. I walked back to my corner and lay back down. I thought of my dad, the Roman camp, Imperial Gold.

Why was I doing this?

Because I fell asleep a second later.

_Phoenix was walking along the river. Garth was next to him. Then the scene shifted to just my dad, looking me dead in the eye, with only blackness behind him. "I am Roman, Blackjack. There's a reason Honey suffered a blind eye."_

_Had that caused Honey's blindness? The fact that she'd crossed the line between Roman and Greek? Was that it?_

_He turned away. "You're not dead, Blackjack. I know now."_

_My throat tightened. There was only one way he'd know that._

_He looked back at me sadly. "Yes, Blackjack, I have died. I lived a full life. I lived a frowned-upon life, too. But in the end, I did remarkable stuff. Imperial Gold is the Celestial Bronze of Ancient Rome. I was the steed of one of the praetors back when I was younger, but then I discovered Camp Half-Blood, and that became my new home. When I met Honey, things went bad for her. The gods refused to let the Roman demigods and camps cross once again with the Greeks. They punished her, for my fault. But you, Blackjack, you can't be punished. You're half Roman, half Greek. You can go anywhere . . . and you _will _go everywhere. When I died, the Fates gave me that one insight. I must go now, Blackjack, but know this: your friends will never give up on you. Never at all."_

_He paused, and looked at me even sadder. "So whatever you do, never give up on them."_

_He began to fade. He turned and slowly walked away. "Wait! Dad, please!"_

_He glanced back. "Never give up on them, Blackjack. That is all I can say."_

_"No, please, don't—you're my dad! You should . . ." I shut my mouth as he slowly faded with each_ _step. I looked at the ground, and then back at him. __ "Goodbye, Father."_

_He looked back as he faded to blackness, "Farewell, son."_

_And he was gone; another person who had left me. Except . . . he wouldn't come back. He couldn't._

_What had he said? Never give up on my friends._

_What did he mean? I could feel sadness now, my dad had died._

_At least I had said goodbye._

I woke up, there were tears on my face. My dad was dead.

* * *

I couldn't really remember what I did from there to the summer. I think I just lay there, feeling hollow.

But I registered the change from Spring to Summer.

And I registered what the almighty crashes were on the ship the first time.

And then I knew; I could escape soon.

* * *

**Whoohoo! Action once more!**

**Have I mentioned I hate filler-chapters?**

**Well, I do, but I also agree them necessary.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-Owl.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Dear goodness, I do believe that I have posted two chapters in one day . . . hmm . . .**

**I can't deny that I'm on a bit of a roll.**

**I had my end-of-term riding comp today!**

**I came fourth . . . out of four . . .**

**But hey, I was on a hard horse. Sweet, but a very hard one to ride.**

**I got my ideas for Honey from her. This horse is actually going blind in one eye. It's so sad, she has gorgeous eyes.**

**Anyway, I cannot deny that Blackjack's story must go on!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and words. **

* * *

**_Chapter 18: Sweet Freedom Short Lived_**

I waited. I'd torn my wing free of the splint and folded it. It was okay.

I'd practiced flapping, that worked too. I even managed to get myself off the ground for a moment, but the ceiling was too low to do much.

Then I heard it again, and I looked at the cell door.

I was about to ram into it, but a _dracaenae _slithered over, in one arm holding a bridle—yeah, what do they think I am? A pony?—[No offense to Tyson]—and unlocked the door. A fellow monster then held it closed as she forced the steel bit into my mouth. Dude, it was just _gross._

I refused to let it stay in there, but her spear came around and whacked me on the butt. Sadly, it was an electric spear. So it hurt. A _lot. _

She grabbed the reins and pulled me out of the cell. She led me up the path I had spent so long trying to figure out. She led me up the stairs, down two corridors, then another set of stairs . . .

And I saw daylight.

I was right. It did hurt to see it. Even if it was late-afternoon. It conformed my fears. I stopped, trembling with fear.

Then I saw Luke. He looked like he was about to duel Percy.

This huge bear guy came up to me and wrenched me forward. That snapped me back. Yeah, the sun was hurting me, what the heck? That kid was going to get beaten up, and Luke was right there, and I had this chance to . . . _express _all of my anger at him.

I reared up and spread my wings out high above me. Gods, it felt good to stretch them out again.

[Now, dear demigods out there, this is the bit where I say, the words that I said there I will _not _repeat, because if I was to, the gods would very likely condemn me to Tartarus for them. Hey, I was angry at him. And the gods were kind of mad at him too . . . so they let me swear my guts out and didn't care less! Well, Nyx did, but that's not the point!]

"Sir!" the bear dude yelled, just managing to dodge a kick from one of my hooves. "Your steed is ready!"

I guess I should've expected the whole, 'your steed' thing, but it still disgusted me. Luke kept his eyes firmly on Percy. "I told you last summer, Percy," he said. "You can't bait me into a fight."

"And you keep avoiding one," Percy shot back. Ooh, good comeback!

"Scared your warriors will see you get whipped?" Percy continued. Now, I had to admit, that was kind of impressive.

"Yeah, go on, Castellan, what have you got to lose?" I yelled, of course, Percy wouldn't have heard that, and while Luke supposedly 'glanced' back at his men, he actually shot me a _you-are-a-dead-horse _look.

At that moment, I couldn't have cared less. "Bring it on, Scar Face!"

He sneered and turned back to Percy, "I'll kill you quickly," he decided.

He raised his sword, Backbiter, and then whistled to one of the monsters. They tossed him a shield.

"Luke," Annabeth said—oh yeah, Percy, Annabeth, Grover and—_good gods_, was that— _A CYCLOPS?—_were there as well. "At least give him a shield."

"Sorry, Annabeth," Luke said. "You bring your own equipment to this party."

"Geez, man, a _party? _Sure, being stuck in a cell is so much of a party!"

Of course, Luke ignored that, and so did Percy, seeing as he was pretty much looking right at his impending doom.

Luke lunged at him, and nearly killed Percy first try. His sword slid under Percy's arm, cutting along his ribs. Can I just say I hate it when they get hit and it starts bleeding? Yeah, it's bad. I have my reasons, as do many others, but I can say I'm not afraid of blood, thank you very much.

Percy jumped back and counter-attacked, but Luke bashed away the blade with his shield. "My, Percy," Luke chided. "You're out of practice."

"Oh, and you're not, Castellan?" I yelled. Why do I keep getting ignored? Oh yeah . . . I'm a Pegasus! One who's been in a cell for the three-quarters of a year!

Luke came forward on Percy again, aiming a swipe to the head. Percy parried and attempted a thrust, but Luke sidestepped. Easily—_too _easily. Mind you, I was starting just to find excuses to hate him even more, which was kind of hard, seeing as I already hated the guy's guts ten times over.

Percy jumped back into the swimming pool, and as soon as he's gone under he shot out. The force of the water caused Luke to fall backwards, but before Percy could strike, he got back to his feet and was ready again.

Percy sliced of the edge of Luke's shield, which gave Luke time to drop to a crouch and slice at Percy's leg.

I was guessing the cut was deep, because he couldn't stand on the leg anymore. Geez, Castellan!

"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated. I had to kind of agree with him. If I wasn't so fed up with what I'd gone through, I might've done another round of exclusive swearing.

I'd had cuts like that too many times in my captivity below deck. I knew what it was like to have the muscle severed so that there was no longer any strength in the limb. I knew what pain was now. I really did. Percy crumpled, and rolled. He rolled away from the blade as Luke slashed downwards, missing him and slicing the deck chair in two, metal pipes and all. Percy tried to get back to the swimming pool, but he had a look on his face like he knew he'd never make it. Luke's face was pure malice.

"One thing I want you to watch before you die, Percy," Luke said. He looked back at the other bear-dude, who was holding Annabeth and Grover buy their necks. "You can eat your dinner now, Oreius. Bon apétit."

And then the world went nuts. Of course it did: the Party Ponies had arrived.

And arrow sprouted from Oreius's mouth, and he crumpled to the ground, dropping Annabeth and Grover.

"Brother!" wailed the other one, who then let go of my reins. I squealed in joy. _Freedom! Sweet Freedom!_

I then added the final touch by smashing my hooves down on his head with fatal impact before taking to the sky over Miami. I was free, oh my gods it was good.

I was leaving that boat behind, all the pain that had happened there would remain there, and I did _not _want to go back there—ever.

The Party Ponies had saved Percy's butt, and well, he had sort of saved mine . . .

[Do _not _get any ideas, Mr Ego!]

I managed to just get in the air. I never thought getting back into flying would be so hard. My wing was _not _in any shape to take my weight. But I set my jaw and kept going; I _had _to get away from there. I didn't care about where I ended up, just not there!

What I didn't realise was that it was coming closer to night. And I most definitely didn't realise just how fast I was going when night finally fell.

When I began to descend, I had the same amount of pain racing through me as when I had the infection. As I got closer to the ground, the winds picked up. It shattered me to find out that I was being tossed by these winds. If I was in better shape, I would've had fun with them, but now, they were sending me sprawling.

Until I hit the ground.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of running water. Had I crashed? Come on, I could _not _have crashed!

I looked down at the scar on my wing. _Keep it as a reminder that you did the course faster than the original Pegasus._

That caused me to ache even more. How could I have lost all my talent? What would Pegasus say now? _Oh my gods you're dense, _probably.

I closed my eyes and let out a shuddering breath. In my whole time in that cell, I never thought that I could have lost all my flying ability. Never.

There was a rustle in the bushes next to me. I looked up and saw a horse.

Well, a unicorn, really, with a bronze horn in the middle of its forehead.

I clenched my jaw and sat up. "Uh . . . hi, can you tell me where I am?"

The filly straightened and tossed her silver mane. "Camp Jupiter, of course."

* * *

**Whoohoo!**

**I'm saying that a lot lately . . .**

**Cliffhanger! Nooooooo!**

**I just had to do it, okay? And anyway, I figured that Blackjack would NOT get along with Scipio (Skippy) in the MoA, so it might as well cross here!**

**I said CJ had a part, and this will be the last they have in this story.**

**The Blackjack Trilogy . . . that's what I plan on calling it, because, there's this one, then TTC and TBL in one, and then the TLO in one.**

**The Last Olympian is going to be a good one, I can assure you!**

**Oh, and readers, I have a goal: get more reviews than Cat with Secrets. I MUST DO IT!**

**I only need . . . *thinks* . . . 9 more reviews until I have more!**

**We can do this!**

**Please R&R!**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-Owl**


	20. Chapter 20

**Whoohoo! I'm back again! And this time with - wait for it - my twentieth chapter! YAY!**

**I plan of this story having 25 chapters . . . yay. And then the two sequels. *nods vigorously***

**By the way, I'm still looking for a name for it . . . and maybe even the Opal/Blackjack thing. **

**Let's get on with Chapter 20 - technically it's only 19, but anyway!**

**(Oh, and if you're wondering how this is going to work with the Greek having NO idea about the Romans and yet Blackjack is blabbing all about them, I have a solution! But telling you would be spoiling it - hehe. THE POWER!)**

**Disclaimer: I own only my OCs and words.**

* * *

**_Chapter 19: Me No Like Peanut Butter (Sorry, Tyson)_**

I stared back at her. "C—camp _Jupiter?"_

"Well, duh. Where'd you think we were? Olympus?"

"Well . . ."

"Claudia, what have you found back there?" called a voice. Somehow it was familiar. The unicorn looked up in the direction of the voice.

"Gee, I don't know; a strange horse-thing with wings—what do you think I found?"

The bushes shuffled, and none other than Peanut Breath. Garth's son. Scipio?

"Who _are _you?" he asked suspiciously. "I've never seen you before."

"You've seen other pegasi before, so you've seen him. Where the heck could he have come from?" Claudia commented, doing that head-wagging thing to prove her point.

"Well, I'd never met my uncle—"

"Phoenix? That uncle?" I jumped in.

Scipio eyed me, "how would you know that? Anyway, what's your name?"

"Blackjack," I said without hesitation. Then, I realised something: my dad had told them about me. I was in serious trouble here.

Scipio took a step back. "No. You're toying with me now."

Claudia turned away and whacked him with her tail as she went past. "And the world's against you."

Scipio shot her a look. He turned back to me. "If you're name's Blackjack . . . and you knew about Phoenix . . . where are you from?"

I got to my feet. "The sky—and a cruise ship. Where else?"

"Cruise ship?"

"Yep. And . . ." I caught myself. "Other things," I said darkly.

He eyed me. Man, he looked like peanut butter!

"Other things? Who are you?"

I shook my recently-healed wing. I figured out what Nyx had meant with the whole, _your wing shall never be whole until mended properly _thing. It didn't feel right. It was too fragile.

I looked back at him. I guessed I had been flying all night. How the heck I got from Miami all the way to San Francisco—_the other side of the country—_in one night, I would never, ever know.

"I'm a Night Pegasus," I said. I guess after all I'd been through, admitting that was an easy thing, and by the look Scipio gave me, I knew he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Fine. Be that way then," he shot. Then he looked at _me. _I guess my recent scrapes since Nyx had left me were still quite . . . obvious. Then there were the scar_s, _especially the one on my wing, which seemed clearer now that it had been injured.

"You're injured."

"What was your first clue?" I snarled. I guess that was my soft spot . . . being reminded of that. "Was it the scars? Or the cuts? Or the fact that one wing's now a _bit _misshapen when I fold it?"

He seemed taken aback. "Sorry . . . I was just . . . how? Because you'd have to be pretty stupid to end up in a shape like that."

"Stupidity has nothing to do with it," I mumbled.

His eyes narrowed at me. For a second his face reminded me of Phoenix when I made something up for why I was back late. The look they give you when it's like, _I know you're not telling me something, and that's a _really _bad lie, you know. Sometimes a wonder why you bother. _

That made all the weight and grief slam back onto my chest. I missed him, I missed his comments when he'd watch me fly, like the time when I did this corkscrew and he said, 'you remind me of a very irritating tic', that was my dad's sense of humour. I missed that, I really did.

"Well, if stupidity has nothing to do with it, what does?"

I glared at him. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the _enemy_"—I took a step towards him with each word. "Or the word _torture, _or _blackmail, _or _death threats."_

Suddenly he seemed a lot smaller. I wasn't that scary, was I? Then I realised my wings had subconsciously opened out slightly, and the air around me was darkening.

"Um . . . sorry, I was just—"

"Scipio?" called a voice. I recognised it as Garth. Brilliant, just brilliant. As Scipio turned away, I bolted. I couldn't fly. My wing still had a dull ache in it. It would be torture to put myself through that.

"Hey, Blackjack!" Scipio yelled. I was actually quite surprised he remembered my name. I only said it once. In fact it surprised me so much I stumbled, fell flat on my face, and heard the two pegasi running after me. I jumped to my feet and kept running. I did _not _trust these pegasi, or unicorns, or whatever! This wasn't my home. My home was on the other side of the country.

I tried my best to get away from them, but what I didn't realise was that that involved me getting over that river. That was the running water. Why is my luck so bad? [Like you can talk! At least you still have— no, I refuse to say any more.]

I ground to a halt before the river. The two horses were coming up behind me. I couldn't jump. I hadn't left myself enough time to get a run-up. The force of the wind on the water would pull me down if I—

I sound like Annabeth right now. [No, for once I agree: that is _bad. _Annabeth is looking at you funny now . . . I don't think you should tell her what I said . . . wait— gee, that's great, just great. You can't keep your mouth shut, can you?]

The bad thing: the two caught up.

What I hadn't realised was that I was _scared. _How could I have been crushed in that small amount of time? I was afraid of jumping, and that the river would get me, and that I would drown. I wasn't scared—I was _petrified._

Garth looked at me, the trembling wreck, and then the water. "Why are you scared of the river?"

I didn't say anything; I just stared, wide-eyed at the rushing water. If what Nyx had said was true about the 'Spirit of the Sea' thing, being afraid of a river was a pretty damn bad way to start. [Stop—laughing.]

Garth looked at me closer. "You said your name was Blackjack?"

I took frantic steps away from the water. "Yes," I said in a small voice.

Garth looked into one of my terrified eyes. "Where did you say you were from?"

"He didn't," Scipio interjected. "He stopped at his name. . . . But he knew who Phoenix was."

"Hmm . . ." Garth pondered. "What was your mother's name?"

Why do people want to know everything about me? Why can't I stay as some . . . _horse _they know nothing about! Why is everyone so desperate to know things? Argh, it was so annoying!

[I thought I said before, _stop—laughing, _okay? Don't give me that look!]

"Look," I said. "There are things I'm willing to tell, and things I'm _not, _okay? Example, I'll tell you my name—it ends there!"

Scipio snorted, "Like that matters!"

"Scipio!" Garth chided. He looked back at me. "Is there a reason?"

"Yes," I said flatly. "Because I have had _too _many times when that stuff has been used against me and . . . oh no . . ."

The Voice had said if I went against my word things worse than I could ever imagine would happen.

I had gone back on my word.

Whatever attempt I had made to regain a calm state collapsed. "No . . . no . . . _no," _I said. I pawed the ground, "That is pushing it _too _far!"

I didn't care about my wing anymore. My anger seemed to block out everything else. I couldn't let them get my family, or my friends. I couldn't let them get Opal.

"My boy," said Garth, "What are you doing?"

Then, in that one sentence, everything came crashing down to earth. I may not care about my wing, but if it broke in mid-air I would be unable to fly. I couldn't help of that happened.

"I'm panicking, _that's _what I'm doing!" I snapped.

Scipio frowned at me, I could tell I'd offended him. He looked at Garth, "He dares insult you."

"_Insult _him?" I cried. "I don't _insult! _I panic, okay? I panic because it's likely all my friends and family could . . . could . . . why would you care, anyway? You just want to know who I am!"

Scipio kicked me in the ribs. But I wasn't without experience. I got right back up. Sure, I was winded, and it hurt, but compared to what I'd been through, did I care? No.

"You insulted my father right then!" Scipio yelled. Garth was looking with disapproval at his son but made no effort to stop him. Compared to this, the Ares Cabin were diplomats. [Yes, that's how bad it was.]

I didn't look at him. "If you knew—"

"Knew _what? _What you've been through?"

Scipio shoved me brutally in the side. "What would it matter? Would it change my perspective?" he was yelling at the top of his lungs now.

This time I was going to snap if he did something again. I hoped he could see that, but if he did, he didn't let on, because he came at me and gave me the biggest kick so far in the shoulder.

It sent me rolling, but I shot back to my feet and stood taller than him. I was heaps taller. I guess he could see that.

"I couldn't care less about what _I've _been through now," I said. "I care about what my family and friends and all the people like that will go through! If you knew what that was, you wouldn't be worrying about this!"

I guess I was kind of mad, because my wings opened and reached up above me, casting huge shadows.

I looked down at him. If I was in San Francisco, then I'd have to wait until night to get anywhere. I realised he was suddenly very, _very _scared of me. "By the way," I said, as I turned to go. "I'm meant to be dead."

And I took off into the sky.

I had a plan. I just hoped it would work, that's all.

[No comment, thank you!]

* * *

**Yippee! **

**That's satisfying, it really is!**

**Bad news though: Cat has 60 reviews now! How I have no idea.**

**When did Spiderman fanfics get so popular?!**

**Anyway, until the next chapter,**

**-Owl**


	21. Chapter 21

**Finally, we have chapter 20!**

**Whoohoo! *dances around crazily***

**Okay, I won't spoil it too muc, but I REALLY need names for the sequel to this!**

**Read, and then think!**

**Disclaimer: I own only my Ocs and my words**

* * *

**_Chapter 20: Epic—Fail_**

Confession time: my plain did _not _work.

I had planned to find the nearest wooded area and then wait until nightfall.

What actually happened was I found the nearest wooded area and was . . . you know . . . kind of . . . shot down . . .

I guess I was expecting it; a bedraggled _thing _with a slightly misshapen wing and loads of cuts and injuries and stuff.

The arrow had shot out of the trees and got me in the thigh. It had a silver shaft. A Hunter arrow.

I plummeted to the ground. I had been through a lot of pain, but until now, I haven't been shot with a _barbed _arrow. Let alone an arrow. Barbed arrows are meant for the kill. Well, you can see where that got me. [Do you really have to smirk like that? Hey, I'm the one with smart-aleck responses!]

I smashed into the ground shoulder-first. Luckily it was mud, a great cushion. I rolled onto my side and made sure I kept my wing from getting squashed. It was sure to shatter if I lay on it.

A girl looked out from the trees. She had dark hair braided back and wore a silvery tiara thing. She had her bow aimed at me with a nocked arrow. I could tell she was aiming for between the eyes.

I looked at her. Sure, she was a hunter, but . . . she was different.

"Please," I said. "I'm not in that much pain."

She kept her bow up, but I could tell her arm was trembling. Her instincts were telling her to shoot, but her mind was telling her not to.

"What is thy name?" she asked. She had a faint accent, slightly Greek, I thought.

I looked at her. For once I decided that I should come straight out, with my life on the line and all. [Yeah, very funny.]

"Blackjack," I said. Her eyes narrowed. "All of thy name, please."

"Blackjack . . . Night Pegasus?"

Her bow lowered. "Forgive me for shooting thou. Thou looked in pain, so I raised thine bow . . ."

I was getting confused with all the old words. "It's okay."

No, Blackjack, it isn't, my conscience yelled. Sure, the arrow was producing so much pain that my vision seemed to be short-circuiting, but hey, all in a day's work, right? [OW!]

Throbbing pain was bouncing through me. It seemed to resonate through every fibre I had in me. I looked at the girl, who was advancing slowly, her knives drawn.

She knelt next to the protruding arrow. "It is against thy rules of thine Hunt not to kill thee right now."

"Yeah, well, I have a lot of people thinking I'm already dead, and I like proving people wrong."

She pressed a hand against the uninjured part of the leg, and in a quick flash she cut the arrow out.

Extreme pain went for a second, but then it passed and lessened to an irritating throb. She's cut the arrow out so precisely that there was hardly a cut.

She pressed some silver paste into the wound and muttered something in Ancient Greek. I didn't see how it helped, but the paste hardened on the top like a bandage.

"I told you my name," I said. "What's yours?"

She pursed her lips and put her knives away. "I do not fraternise with males."

"What? Oh, right—Hunter. No, I mean . . . besides, you shot me, you owe me that, and that only."

She studied my eyes. I guess she was looking for a lie. "I am Zoë Nightshade," she said. "Perhaps you know what I am, Night Pegasus. I have worked with Nyx in the past."

"You're . . ." I thought of what Nyx had said, back in that fight with Nemesis; something about sunsets . . .

"You're a Hesperide; a sunset-nymph."

Zoë nodded slowly. "And you are a Pegasus of Nyx. If you are who I think you are, you should know this: the sunset is the one crossover between the day and night; where the sun hesitates."

She stood up and began to walk away. As she began to disappear, she looked back. "And you know, you're the first creature to get me talking in the modern way," she said. Then she got a faraway look in her eyes. "When you see my sisters, tell them . . . tell them that they were right, and that I was right also, and that the sunset is us because we are the hesitation, and that sometimes . . . the night . . . can be truly strong," for a moment she smiled.

Then she disappeared into the undergrowth.

I lay there for a long time. I was expecting something, I didn't know what, but I was.

I looked up at the moon, so far away in the night. I looked up at the moon, and it looked back at me.

An arrow whizzed past me.

I jumped to my feet, grimacing as I put weight on my hind right leg—the injured one.

I noticed something: is there anything on me that's _not _injured? [Stop sniggering.]

Another girl walked into the clearing. Another Hunter. Except this one wasn't holding her bow at me. She looked about 13 at the oldest, with wavy auburn hair and strange, silvery eyes.

She walked forward, a smile on her face.

"Hello, Night Pegasus—or do you prefer Blackjack?"

"You know, you're the first person to ask me that," I commented. She gave a small, light laugh. "But I prefer Blackjack."

"Hmm," she said. "And I would prefer Artemis, from you. I prefer Lady Artemis from my maidens . . . but from you, Artemis."

"What makes me so special?"

Artemis rocked on her feet like a normal teen. "Oh . . . because you have the blessing of Nyx? No, because . . . you seem to have liberated my lieutenant. And . . . you seem to have earned it. Now, all I can say is that, since you seemed to have healed Zoe, I will heal your wing, which Nyx said required my help."

"Well . . . she said it needed to be healed with another . . . so . . ."

Artemis opened out my wing. "Well, that's a bit of a bad break. Now, let's see . . ."

She traced her finger along the wing arm. Immediately it began to straighten out, and the feathers line up again. She made a short snort of approval. "This is the work of my brother, is it not? Only Ares can make such bad breaks."

"Sure is. Do you know what . . . ?"

"Happened to him? For you, nothing—for having inside information about my father's masterbolt? Well . . . let's say it wasn't pleasant."

She took a step back as I gave my wing a few practice flaps. I grinned. "Good as new."

"I'm afraid I can't heal your spirit, however. Kronos excels at breaking spirits. How you survived I shall never know. But, I am feeling generous, is there anything you would like to wish upon the moon?"

I looked up at her young face. A three-millennia-old goddess as an early teen—that was new.

"Just . . . just look after Percy, in a way, I guess. Well . . . he can look after himself . . . just not from you guys."

"Ah, Percy. Poseidon's son. Yes, I was planning on doing that anyway. Anything else? I had that planned already."

"No. I already have what I want, thanks."

She nodded. "Then, be off with you, Camp and your family await."

I spread my wings. "Thank you . . . Artemis."

"For once I mean it when I say you're welcome. From what the Fates have planned for you, you being a male I cannot care less about."

Before I could wonder about what she'd just said, I jumped into the air. She said Kronos had broken my spirit.

Then I would just have to get it back.

I flew across the country all through the night. I'd left San Francisco far behind.

Without the ache in my wing, I felt great.

Just one problem: I couldn't fly right.

Every time a wind blew at me, I was stuck taking the blow of it. That wasn't me. Usually I'd do something stupid and dangerous, like let the wind catch in my wings and throw me backwards, which would cause a backflip that I would then dive from. I wouldn't just stay there and take it.

Why had all that been crushed? Why . . . why did it have to be _me? _What made me so special? Was it because my dad had been an idiot and met a Greek Pegasus when he was Roman? Was it because I was an everything- and-a-nothing?

Yeah, that's why. I was a horse, a land creature, created by the god of the sea, with wings of an eagle, a sky creature, with a Greek mother, and a Roman father.

Because I was blessed by the night, and entangled with the sun.

I don't know why, but that thought made me cry.

I always thought I was an everything.

And I was.

But I was a nothing as well, because all those things had nothing at all in common. They were just a bunch of loose ideas.

That's what I was: a manifestation of loose ideas.

I was a Blackjack.

* * *

**Ta-da!**

**That was kinda depressing way to finish, but I had to somehow show that Kronos had got to him.**

**And yes, that has an effect, but it gets better.**

**Have any of you figured out the whole 'sun' thing? Because if you haven't I would be as surprised if I was if Percy died in the MoA.**

**Okay, I have a question:**

**Do you like Percy or Jason better?**

**Me? DEFINITELY PERCY!**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-Owl**

**Please R&R!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Righto, this is the second last chapter!**

***gapes at the screen***

**Yeah, I know, it's a shock, but WE HAVE PREVAILED!**

**Okay, I hope you like this ending of the action, as I shall now call it (I can just IMAGINE Cat shaking her head and thinking about what an idiot I am right now)**

**So, I REALLY NEED NAMES, PEOPLE! WHAT SHALL THE SEQUEL BE CALLED? QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS!**

**Nevertheless, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING, a big, fat, ugly NOTHING . . . except of course, my OCs and words . . . TAKE THAT, NOTHING! (more head-shaking on Cat's part)**

* * *

**_Chapter 21: Return_**

I had been flying all night. I could see Long Island Sound running next to me. I just had to follow it . . . and then I'd find myself at Camp Half-Blood.

And then what? What was I supposed to do?

I was just some Pegasus with a fixed wing, injuries and a broken spirit.

I had always been known for my strong spirit. How could it have broken so quickly . . . without even a fight? How was I meant to land and say _hi, I'm not dead! I'm just worse than dead! Oh, not by much, I just have a broken spirit!_

It wasn't the pain any injury had put me through that had made my time on the _Princess Andromeda _miserable. It was the fact that I could feel the fissures opening up in my spirit until they broke, until I became a bunch of loose ends, nerves, and . . . I don't know. I just knew that there was one person who could fix that break: me.

The thing was; I didn't know if I wanted to.

Everyone was telling me I had a bad future. So why should I take that on with a strong spirit?

_Because you're Blackjack. You're a survivor._

Where had that come from? I knew I didn't think that.

I could picture Nyx in my mind's eye. _You're a survivor, Blackjack. Yes, your spirit is broken, but not unfixable. Yes, you have a painful and terrible future, but that doesn't mean it is not honourable. . . . You have a whole life ahead of you, Blackjack, why would you choose to end it right now?_

I could see the edge of camp coming into view. There was the mess hall . . . and the stables . . .

_Because I don't know if I should live the life I'm going to, _I said. I couldn't go back to camp. Not yet.

I veered away and landed on the sand. I couldn't go up there in this state.

_Blackjack, _Nyx said, sterner, _if you were to choose this you would be shaming me and therefore preventing the change that must happen! You may think of yourself as insignificant, but you're not. Yes, the Great Prophecy speaks about one individual, a demigod, but all demigods need a steed, all demigods have to have something greater than a friend, they have to have their partners. No hero ever made it on their own. None._

"Then maybe the Great Prophecy can be the first!" I snapped. I was talking to myself. Was I going insane?

_You know what, Blackjack? _Nyx's anger was barely controlled now. _I chose you because you _are _a manifestation of loose ideas. That makes you strong. You are not a nothing, you are the combined strength of all of those ideas!_

_"_What if I don't _want _to be? Huh? What about that?"

I could see the sky darkening. Was I causing that?

_Why you are so arrogant I shall never know!_

"Why you are so—"

_You would dare insult me? _She fumed. _Would you? I am sister to _Gaea, _Blackjack. She is Mother Nature! I am the one who commands the night! There was a reason I was feared! Gaea may be asleep now, but I can assure you, it will not be for much longer!_

"Are you going primordial? What about this so-called _change?"_

It seemed to make her snap. She appeared right in front of me, eyes blazing with anger. "Hold your tongue, Blackjack! Do you not understand why I chose you? Is that it? Is it because you are admitting _defeat?"_

No. I wasn't. How could I admit defeat? That wasn't me! Broken spirit or not! If I had admitted defeat, I would've become a brainless Kronos-worker!

Nyx's anger lessened. She sighed, "why do I pick the difficult ones? Why?"

"Because they weren't difficult until Kronos got to them," I growled.

Nyx looked up at me. She reached up and brushed away my forelock from my eye. "You've changed, Blackjack. Why?"

Everything I'd held it suddenly fell. My wings fell loose, my head bowed in defeat. Everything I had maintained had crumbled.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," I said. I looked up at camp. "But . . . I don't want to go back yet, either."

Nyx knelt at my face. "Have you finally admitted defeat? To yourself?" all her anger was gone, she was just as I knew her now.

"Yeah," I sighed, "I can handle Kronos, torture and all that . . . but I can't handle myself."

"Admitting defeat is a hard thing, Blackjack. You have to accept it, and then start again. One's whole life is a battle. At times you have to admit that you have lost, then you have to stand up again, look the problem in the eye, and say, _I _will _beat you, eventually. _If that problem is yourself, then you have to say, _get up. Try again, whatever's broken will mend, whatever has mended will very likely one day break again, but then simply start over. _When nothing is broken anymore, you know you have is a hard thing to battle yourself, Blackjack, it is."

"How would you know?"

"Because all my ancient instincts were telling me against change, but I knew that I was right. I had to fight myself to get my whole being to agree. You have to fight yourself now, too. You have to try, no matter what. If you fail, and things break, then you try again, until nothing more breaks."

Those words seemed to ring true in my ears. The sky lightened. "Sometimes you need help to fight yourself, though."

She smiled, "yes, you do. I did. Artemis was generous to you because she helped me fight myself, and she sees you as an embodiment of that fight. Artemis is very . . . honourable. Everything she hunts forever gets a place with her, so that it is never forgotten. You have a place with her too, as do I, as do many others."

I had a place with an Olympian.

What else did I have?

A scar that told me I had done that track faster than the original Pegasus.

A scar shaped like a lightning bolt from when I was struck by lightning.

An angry scar that I'd found on the underside of my wing arm that had failed to go away even when Artemis fixed it.

A broken spirit.

A fight with myself.

Gee, what a list of stuff that I had.

Then I thought; I used to have my father, whose last words to me were, _never give up on your friends._

I had my buds—Guido and Porkpie; the two guys who had saved my butt when I was a tiny foal, when my mum was away, when my dad was with her, when I was alone the first time.

When I'd tried to be a stallion and nearly got myself killed taking on a monster and they'd saved me. When we became buds.

I had Opal, who thought I was dead.

I had my mother, blind in one eye.

And I had Nyx's blessing.

Nyx tilted her head, as if thinking.

"I'm not one to talk, but I think I have a way of helping you."

I looked up at her. "You do?"

She nodded, "A poem. Whenever you think you need something to ground you to reality, remember it."

It was as if that idea made me perk up slightly. "Okay, let's hear it."

_"Once I had a father, scarlet-red and proud, _

_still I have a mother, gorgeous eye allowed, _

_I had my three friends, without I would be nothing, _

_them and family loving, _

_I have my sun, who shines down upon me, _

_Golden light she wears, brilliant to see, _

_my hero called me better, than he was in his life, _

_the scar I wear between the feathers, not caused by any knife, _

_the mark the lightning gave me, _

_when I refused to let things be, _

_I am nothing, _

_but yet everything, _

_I am Blackjack, _

_always, I _will_ be back."_

Then she was gone. Her poem rang in my ears. I looked up to the sky, a bright, sunny midday.

I thought of all those people, waiting for me at camp. I wanted so badly to go there, but I couldn't. If there was one thing I would keep, it was my pride. I refused to go to camp in the state I was in.

I walked along the sand. I walked all the way along Long Island Sound, towards my home. When there was no more sand, I walked into the water. I stood there, knee-deep, and waited. I wasn't waiting for anything to come; I was just waiting for myself to catch up.

The midday darkened to late afternoon, and I could feel the day slipping to the sunset. I remembered what Zoë had said about the sunset, where day hesitates.

I felt the waves pull against my legs. The water was turning cold.

It was suddenly odd to me that I had spent so long floating above water, and yet no time in it. It had been nearly a year since I had so much as stepped into water, let alone the ocean.

I closed my eyes. The wind blew through me. I imagined it taking all the heavy air of defeat that surrounded me with it. When the wind died, I felt no difference. Then I realised: some things you have to do yourself.

Did that mean that I had to make the decision to go back? Did I have to say to myself, _I am going home now_? Did I?

I looked up. In the sky. How could the sky be so many different things? It could be day, night, dawn, sunset, twilight . . . it could make snow, rain, lightning . . . all that . . . from _one _god?

Then I thought about the sea. It could be beautiful. It could be still and tranquil, or it could kill people. It could let people live, it could let people die. And that too . . . was controlled by _one _guy.

That guy's son was the reason I was important, in a way.

The sunset had really become red and bright. The sun was exactly half way beneath the horizon.

It was time to go home. That was my choice. _Go home._

I spread my wings and lifted off from the water. I flew to the stop of the hill next to the Mess Hall.

The wind came from behind me. I could see my home.

Not a metre in front of me, shining in the setting sun was . . .

"Opal," I said. It was like a million kilos of weight was being lifted off me.

She had tears in her eyes.

"Blackjack."

* * *

***tears* Awww! FINISHED!**

**Prepare for a pointless Epilogue that may or may not consist of Percy and Blackjack arguing . . . actually, just expect it.**

**I hope you enjoyed this story, because I really enjoyed writing it!**

**Please R&R,**

**-Owl**


	23. Chapter 23

***begins bawling* Noooooooo! This is the end! WAAAHHHH!**

**Anyway, uh . . . I hope you like it! I should have the first chapter of the sequel up in a few days . . . I REALLY need a name, at the moment it's ****_The Titan's Maze, _****but I need some help! If you like it, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE tell me!**

**Oh, and I feel like being chatty, so I'd just say that I got about two hours of sleep last night because me, Cat and Chatterbox (another friend) did a Harry Potter Movie Marathon. It was fun . . . and I told Cat what my brain does when it's in autopilot - theorizes what will happen in the Mark of Athena - OH MY GODS IT'S OUT IN 11 DAYS!**

**Disclaimer: I own only my OCs and my words.**

* * *

**_Epilogue_**

_Beat that, Kelp Head!_

Meh.

_Why do you have responses like that? I mean, when _I _comment on what _you've _done, you're like, _oh, don't worry, thanks, but it was all luck!

Uh . . . because that's true?

_Well, it would be nice to say _wow _at least once rather than go on a rant when I _may or may not _comment very colourfully on your brainpower._

Fine then: wow.

_Thank you, was that so hard?_

Yes. Very. I'm still sweating from the stress.

_Very funny. Where's your girlfriend gone—?_

SHE IS NOT—

_She is, idiot. It doesn't take a genius to work out the fact that you—_

Right, this is coming, _from a HORSE. _Alright then, where's Alright then, where's _your _girlfriend?

_I don't have one._

Uh-huh. So, you made me write all that . . . and you _don't _have Opal as a girlfriend?

_Well, I might or I might not. You'll have to wait until we finish the rest of these stories— oh dear . . ._

What?

_Your girlfriend and her cabin have their pegasi-riding lesson now. That's not good._

What? Really? Move your butt; I want to have a look . . . oh. Okay . . .

_There better not be anyone riding me._

Why not?

_Well, no one _can.

I can.

_Because I kind of owe you for that bust, but anyway . . . besides, I'm a hard pegasi to ride . . . even Silena thought so._

Yeah, well, if anyone's riding you, then you'd better be nice.

_Shut up—what are they saying . . . ? Oh . . . that's bad . . ._

What?

_Annabeth's on me . . . Stop laughing!_

Why? Besides, if you try and do what you did to Silena, Opal will be there to stop you.

_Meh. . . . _What? _No way! You are _not _putting that thing on me! Bit or not! A little help here, boss?_

Hmm . . . maybe . . . well, we'll finish the next one after this. Have a good lesson! Besides, Opal will _so _be there to look after Annabeth.

_Just because the sun's up doesn't mean that she'll be in a good mood._

What?

_In other words; maybe._

* * *

***sobs* I - am - going - to - miss - writing - this - and *sob* I - hope - that *sob* you - keep - following - me - so - that - you - can - read *sob* the - sequel *outbreaks of wailing* that - I - can - tell - will *sob* be - just - as - much - fun - to write!**

**Cat: ****Owl, please stop crying.**

**Owl:**** But I loved writing this story! *sob***

**Cat:**** *sigh* Okay, then get a move on with the sequel, if it makes you happy.**

**Owl:**** I need to get a move on then . . .**

** [GO MoA!]**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys. I was asked to provide a link to the sequel of the Blackjack Tales.**

**So, here you are:**

** s/8542996/1/The-Blackjack-Tales-The-Titans-Maze**

**Thanks guys!**

**-Owl**


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